


Evergreen

by alittlepieceofgundamwing_archivist



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Heavy Angst, M/M, Odd, Violence, Yaoi, by 0083
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 14:25:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13526175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlepieceofgundamwing_archivist/pseuds/alittlepieceofgundamwing_archivist
Summary: by 0083This is an utter and complete AU. There are no gundams. but i do use some gwing stuff like Oz and stuff. things will be confusing for now, but it will clear up (like acne) in the future, if you can stick with it that far... and i don't have a beta, so ignore the little stuff please!





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_If the moon is so beautiful and bright in the sky, why does it look so desolate and barren up close?_  
  
The night sky blanketed the world beneath in gentle touches, smoothing harsh angles of the rocks and trees with a brush of softness. The water lapped against the softened landscape in quiet solemnity, echoing the noiseless night in perfect harmony. It was a hot night without the hellish temperatures of day, dampened slightly by humidity. The scent of summer lay heavy over everything without overpowering the subtle smell of the salty ocean. This was the kind of a night that poets liked to moon over in their love sonnets, but the scenery seemed to wash over the figure standing at the edge of the rocks facing out to the ocean. The wind barely scraped over his hair and failed to tug at his loose clothing, too sluggish in the wet air to make an impression. None of it mattered, though, since the lone person standing so still paid no attention to the wind, the night, nor the water. He stared at nothing, but his eyes reflected the moon that finally had reached fullness.  
  
His messy hair which would have been brown under the sun glinted almost translucent blue in the moonlight, casting off a halo like light around him. However, his cold, blue eyes looked anything but angelic, holding a deep darkness that rivaled the moon's glory. A tortured and lonely soul writhed within those blue eyes, screaming for relief against the pain. It was a saving grace that no one else was around to see this man nor to hear the screams of his soul for they would have been overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and the complete torment he radiated.  
  
The moon traveled on relentlessly over the skies and the wind died out completely, but the passage of time did not affect the stillness of the figure standing on the rocks. He stood, his eyes not focused on anything, as the world around him went on with time. That was the way it was _\--_ the world and everything around him traveled in companionship with time while he stood still in the midst of it all. Time meant nothing to him. After all, how could time mean anything when he lived outside of it?  
  
+  
  
Blood dripped slowly down the satiny surface of the teak table, staining the white carpet in small splatters. The body was still warm, its eyes open in shock, the mouth still posed in the beginnings of a surprised gasp. The wound, just next to the trachea in a traditionally effective slicing of the left carotid artery, was a gaping thing, ugly in its bloodied state yet somehow elegant and simple in its completeness.  
  
"Well, I suppose I should get out now."  
  
The seemingly disembodied voice floated across the dead body sprawled over the table. It was tinged with a bit of humor, frustration and weariness that belied the pathetic posture of the dead woman. It was as if the assassin who sat in complete darkness from his victim did not care about the murder, just the fact that it was late at night and he needed some sleep. But he could not leave, not yet. His assassination was complete, but his witness had yet to get on the scene to check out the body. Sometimes, he hated traditions that required every assassin have a witness so that they could testified as to the completeness and quality of his work.  
  
A subtle sound behind him had him whirling with his knives in his hands in less time than most people could blink. The knives went back into their hiding places when he saw that it was his witness.  
  
"About fucking time, Trowa. You know, I killed this girl like an hour ago. I hate waiting! What took you so long?"  
  
Even though the young assassin was frustrated, he had still whispered his small rant. He was angry, not stupid.  
  
"I'm sorry," Trowa said in a rather unapologetic tone, "but you are not my only assassin assignment. Quatre took a little longer and I had to give him a small lecture on effectiveness."  
  
The assassin snorted indelicately and fingered his chestnut colored braid irritably. It had to be Quatre, the almost too delicate looking blond assassin who had joined their ranks not even six months ago that caused the problem. Not that he had anything against Quatre, but he was too nice, kind and nurturing, not exactly the assassin type. But Quatre was good at what he did, just like him. His violet eyes narrowed as that thought popped into his head.  
  
"I thought you trained him, Trowa. And you never train bad assassins, so what really happened?"  
  
Trowa smirked and refrained from answering. He instead walked to the body slumped over the table and checked her over with a critical emerald eye. Her blue eyes were wide open still, a testament to how quickly she had died. Her blond hair was not even out of its small plaits, a true sign of skill of the assassin. Trowa nodded in affirmation, for as always, the job had been done with impeccable style and efficiency.  
  
"Nice job, Duo."  
  
"I know. I'm the best. Now, you done? I need to eat something."  
  
The assassin and his witness walked out of the room, chatting softly about various things, leaving the dead body behind them. However, if they had bothered to turn around even once, their sharp, trained eyes would have caught the dead girl's eyes refocusing, coming back to life.  
  
+  
  
If anything, Duo hated arguing with Wufei. It wasn't that he did not respect Wufei since he was considered one of the best assassins ever produced by the guild, but Wufei never knew when to quit. At this particular moment, Wufei was making a point about honor within the guild, explaining his views on how his job served the purpose of justice only if he performed with honor. Duo listened with half an ear, noting now and then that Wufei did have a valid, if not overdone to death, point, but he still did not agree. They were assassins. They were hired killers who murdered random people because someone paid them to do so. The honor Wufei touted so highly was not present _\--_ they did not kill for the interest of justice or anything noble. They killed because someone wanted someone else dead for any reason at all. As long as the client observed the golden rule number one _\--_ the money.  
  
"My targets never suffer more than a moment when I kill them because we are not monsters. We are killers, dispensing death without undue pain."  
  
Duo did agree with that point. He would never torment or torture his targets, no matter what the client demanded. If the clients wanted their targets to suffer, then they should go hire someone from the murderer's guild, not the assassin's guild. His mind circled round and round with various thoughts and tuned out Wufei's counter argument completely.  
  
"Duo, at least respect my opinion enough to LISTEN."  
  
There was a bit of huffiness in Wufei's voice, but it was lined with fondness as well. He and Duo had been in the guild since they were seven years old and had grown up like brothers. Brothers that liked to fight constantly, anyway.  
  
"I was listening," Duo replied without hesitation, "but you always say the same shit, Wu. Let it go."  
  
They might have gone on with their usual argument if Quatre had not stepped into the fray.  
  
"Guys."  
  
The gentle voice broke through the imminent violence of words and halted all hostilities between Duo and Wufei. For some reason, no one could fight when Quatre was around. He just had that kind of effect on everyone, even in a guild filled with skilled killers. Ignoring the sudden silence he had just inflicted upon Duo and Wufei, Quatre continued to speak gently.  
  
"Trowa says he ran into a snag and won't be able to witness for any of us for a while. It seems that his sister is ill and you know how he feels about leaving her when she isn't well."  
  
Twin sets of grimaces surfaced from Duo and Wufei. If their witness was too busy babysitting his hypochondriac sister, then the jobs they would have gotten would be passed off to others in the guild. Not only would they make less money, their reputations would also receive a small blow for lack of readiness.  
  
"Damn it, Quatre, it's already the fifth time this fucking month Catherine supposedly got sick! What does she have now, a flesh eating virus that only eats her ankles? Shit!"  
  
Wufei nodded in agreement with Duo. Trowa was their witness and it was his duty to make sure that he got them the jobs as well as inspect their work. But Trowa had been less than admirable lately because his sister Catherine. All three assassins understood that Trowa loved his sister dearly, but now that it was effecting his job performance, they had to say something.  
  
"Quat, he likes you. More than us. So, why don't you talk to him about this? We can't just let him take off like this! And it's not like the guild is going to send us another witness anytime soon!"  
  
"Calm down, Wufei," Quatre said in a mollifying tone, "I'm sure he'll be back in a couple of days. No more than that! Besides, Duo, didn't you kill a big bounty last night? That should keep us all afloat for a while yet."  
  
Duo grumbled, but conceded the point. It was funny like that, how Quatre cut off any kind of an argument with either his gentle voice or sound logic. It sucked to argue with him as well.  
  
"Yeah, but the guild won't give us future jobs if Trowa keeps going missing. The three of us have to get work regularly for practice, too. I mean, just who is feeding Trowa and his batty sister? Us! And Quat, before you came along, it was just me and Duo. So I think he owes us a bit more of his time."  
  
If anything, Wufei was a stickler for duty and honor and he made a better argument than Duo did. Quatre nodded at Wufei's well placed point and considered the possibility of pulling Trowa away from Catherine by force. Gentle force, anyway.  
  
"I will talk to him, okay? But enough of that. Duo, how was your last assignment? Mine was only hours before yours and it turned out rather messy."  
  
Duo decided to let Quatre change the subject since he had relented about talking to Trowa. Besides, he was rather proud of his last assignment.  
  
"Didn't Trowa tell you, Quat?" Duo said with a hint of pride, "I got her real good. One neat slice and thump, it was all done. Didn't take more than five seconds. She didn't see me coming, not even when I killed her."  
  
"Impressive."  
  
Duo stuck his tongue out at Wufei's drawling and sarcastic compliment. Wufei always thought killing women was beneath him, considering them somehow a lesser opponent than men.  
  
"I'd say," Quatre jumped in with genuine enthusiasm, "you are one of the best, Duo. The guy I killed struggled and it took longer because of the extensive clean up. But you know, he was one of the generals in the Oz army so he could put up a fight."  
  
Wufei shrugged his shoulders, but offered no comment. He figured if Quatre wanted to use his favored weapon, the garrote wire, he should not be assigned jobs dealing with large, trained people. But the job was done and that was that.  
  
"A big man, eh? I wanted to kill him, but Trowa thought you might get soft on a girl target so I got the shaft."  
  
"Sorry, Duo. Next time, you can have the boorish ones. I've had it with getting thrown around like a potato sack."  
  
"No prob, Quat," Duo said, "and I'll forgive you even since the girl I took out last night was a Peacecraft. I've never taken out someone from the royal family before and it was kind of cool."  
  
"Relena Peacecraft, right? Why did the client want her dead again?"  
  
Rolling his eyes, Duo shook his head at Wufei. It was just like his honorable assassin brother to look for reasons behind the killings. He should have been a soldier, not an assassin.  
  
"What do I care, Wufei? He pays Trowa, I get the job done."  
  
"But don't you ever wonder why these people deserve to die?"  
  
Quatre had spoken softly, as if he had not wanted to be heard, but Duo's sharp ears picked it up anyway.  
  
"Quat, no one deserves to die. No one. But it's not about who's right and who's wrong. There is no justice in what we do. So I have to stop worrying about little stuff like that."  
  
No one said anything afterwards, each shifting off into their private world of contemplation about their job, their life and their destiny.  
  
+  
  
"And it hurt! I hate dying!"  
  
Heero rolled his eyes at his dinner companion, the blue depths betraying the lack of patience for his guest.  
  
"That assassin really dug in hard, too. I mean, I'm a lady, for the love of all things holy. I do not deserve to get.. massacred in that fashion! I mean, you're supposed to kill royalty with poisons or something less invasive. But Heero, he slit my throat! How inelegant, how.. common! Really."  
  
If he could have, Heero would have banged his head against his dinner table until he fell unconscious. For the past hour, he had listened to Relena rant and whine about the undignified way she had died. Unfortunately, it seemed that she was not done yet, and he could not chase her out just yet. They had unfinished business which looked like it would remain unfinished if she kept ranting.  
  
"Relena," Heero said in the middle of her tirade, "what does it matter how you died? We can't die anyway. Besides, you speak like this is the only time you've died."  
  
Sniffing in a ladylike fashion, Relena responded. "That's not the point, Heero. Sure I've died many times before, but never so crudely! I mean, what kind of assassins are they sending after royalty these days anyway? They used to be so polite and clean! You should see the nasty bloodstain left on my carpet. It will take days upon days to clean that up."  
  
"Stop the complaining. I've been stabbed, hung, burned, dismembered and on one particularly unpleasant occasion, tossed to rabid dogs. Believe me when I say your last death was quite a lovely, if not efficient, thing."  
  
"You have absolutely no sympathy for your own kind at all, Heero. Not only that, don't you see the problem I have now? After all that work of setting myself up as a Peacecraft, I'm dead! I can't just show up alive all of a sudden."  
  
Heero resisted the urge to rub the aching pain between his eyebrows. Sometimes he had to wonder if it was just Relena who frustrated him or the entirety of his kind.  
  
"Look, Relena, you told me no one saw you dead except the assassin and his witness. Just go on like nothing happened. Who's going to contradict you?"  
  
At his suggestion, Relena's cornflower blue eyes lit up like lanterns. In the depth of Heero's mind, he thought that they were very, very dim lanterns.  
  
"Of course! You are absolutely right. Why not go on like I never died? Oh, that would so piss off whoever hired them to kill me. Not only that, since the witness confirmed my death which will be contradicted by me walking around alive, the guild will send out forfeit of the assassin and the witness's lives. My, my, what a perfect thing."  
  
Heero sat for another hour as Relena ranted about her vengeance against those who wanted her dead. He did not particularly care who wanted her dead nor the fate of the assassin and his witness. The world of the mortals was not his concern.  
  
"Are you listening to me, Heero? My goodness, I swear you haven't changed a bit in the last thousand years."  
  
"Neither have you, Relena. Which brings me to my point about our unfinished business."  
  
Nodding sourly, Relena let her conversation topic drop. He was always business, so demanding and unrelenting. But she could not blame him for being so cold and unnatural. If she held as much pain as he did behind his beautifully blue eyes, she might be like him too.  
  
"Heero, have you considered that, maybe, he won't ever come back?"  
  
The only response she received was a terse nod followed by an emphatic 'no' screaming in his eyes.  
  
"After all, it has been fifteen centuries since he died, Heero. When will you learn that you cannot love a mortal? They die so quickly and fade even faster. Why don't you give up on him and be with one of your own?"  
  
"That is none of your concern," Heero bit off savagely, "so don't question me. You said you had something that would help to bring him back. Give it to me."  
  
Relena sighed. She had promised him a glimmer of hope three hundred years ago only to realize that she would never have Heero the way she wanted with that glimmer. She had evaded him since then, only to be caught up in it all over again.  
  
"Fine. But don't come crying to me when you realize you're going to hurt more than you do now."  
  
"Fine."  
  
With that out of the way, Relena reached into the inside fold of her voluminous dress and pulled out a small pendant. It glittered rainbows as it reflected the candlelight, but the dark center marred the beauty of the crystalline object.  
  
"Here you go, Heero. The Pendulum Signet. It brings back a mortal from the dead, but at a price."  
  
Heero greedily reached for the pendant, but Relena pulled back at the last moment, dangling it before Heero's outstretched hand.  
  
"The price Heero! Remember the price. You will be mortal."  
  
"Do you think I care? I'll give it up for him."  
  
"I know," Relena said sadly. "You must love him so much to want to give up being a god, Heero."  
  
"I do. More than you'll know. And what's so good about being a god anyway? We have long since been deposed of our power and we scurry through the mortal landscape, trying to blend with those that time touches."  
  
Knowing that it was futile to argue further, Relena handed the pendant to Heero.  
  
"I hope he still loves you, Heero. For all you know, he's not even dead anymore. Mortal souls are recycled, remember?"  
  
"Then this pendant will help his current incarnation remember me. Whatever happens, I will have him back."  
  
Relena gave Heero one last look filled with sadness and left. She could not imagine giving up her immortality nor her godhood for any reason at all, but Heero would do it in a heart beat for a boy he loved so long ago. She wished him luck and hoped that he would finally banish the pain from his eyes.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

_True love never dies. It only fades into nothing, like a shadow under a slowly brightening morning light._  
  
It has been said that no news was good news. About now, Duo wished that he had not just heard the news.  
  
"What the fuck do you mean she's not dead! Of course she is! You checked her out, Trowa! FUCK!"  
  
Trowa nodded grimly. He had made sure the girl was dead before they had walked out of the room. He was never wrong and Duo never failed. Whatever had happened, that girl walking around just could not be Relena Peacecraft. The only problem was, the guild thought she was the princess who supposedly died three nights ago under Duo's blade.  
  
"Shit, shit, shit! You know she's dead, I know she's dead! How come she doesn't know she's dead? Hello, big ass knife wound in the neck! Enough blood to drown a cow! How can she be walking around?"  
  
Duo paced around the small living space he shared with Wufei and Quatre in agitated steps, his arms flailing wildly to punctuate each and every word he spoke. Despite the ranting, Trowa knew Duo was very serious about this problem. The guild had found them wanting as an assassin and a witness; they had already sent out a writ of forfeit on their lives. Within the day, their friends and comrades would be sent out after them to kill them.  
  
"What do we do now? Run? Hell, who would the guild send out after us? Shit, I hope it isn't Wufei or Quatre. I can't kill them to save my own ass."  
  
Trowa agreed with Duo's point. There would be nothing worse than to be hunted by people he considered his family. And that brought on another problem – Catherine.  
  
"Don't you dare worry about your sister right now, Trowa!" Duo said with heat. "It won't do her much good if you turn up dead. It'd be better for you to leave her and run than just croak."  
  
"I know that, Duo," Trowa replied, "but what if they use her against us to bring us into a trap? Have you thought about that?"  
  
Grim silence followed. There were too many factors to consider before running away, but if they didn't run, they would be dead for sure. Duo and Trowa both knew that they did not want to die, not yet. They wanted to live, taste life for a while longer.  
  
"Shit, man, we do NOT have time to ponder. We have to do something quickly. Forfeits were sent out already, right? At most, we got a couple of hours before they come for us. We have to run!"  
  
"That's right. And we're going with you."  
  
Duo whirled quickly, his weapons already in his hands for defense. He saw Quatre and Wufei standing by the door, their poses almost identical in casualness. They were packed, each carrying a bulging backpack and carrying two more in their hands.  
  
"Quatre, have you lost your mind? You can't come with us, we're forfeited. You and Wufei can still be in the guild with a new witness. Don't forfeit your lives, too."  
  
"Thanks for the concern, Trowa," said Wufei with lazy humor, "but I do not abandon my only family. Very unjust, don't you know."  
  
Quatre nodded happily and walked over to Trowa to hand him a pack. Duo watched dumbfounded as Wufei did the same for him. The usually sarcasm filled violet eyes were now shiny with gratitude and tears.  
  
"You guys.. we just can't let you do this.. shit, you're throwing your lives away!"  
  
A gentle smile was all Duo received from Quatre as an answer. Wufei merely hauled him towards the door with adamant pushes, demanding him to move.  
  
"Duo, Trowa. What happens to one of us happens to all of us. Let's go. Time's wasting."  
  
Duo and Trowa dumbly followed Wufei out while Quatre took rear guard. The four of them would run from the guild, perhaps to live, perhaps to die. But no matter what, they would face whatever was ahead together.  
  
+  
  
Heero concentrated once again, ignoring the bleariness in his eyes. He knew his powers were nearly nothing these days, but a simple divination should not have been this hard, especially with the Pendulum Signet in his possession. But for some reason, he could not find out where his love's incarnation or soul was. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed help from a god who had more power than he did.  
  
"Treize, get over here now. You're watching me anyway, aren't you?"  
  
Just as he finished speaking, light coalesced by his auguring table and formed into a rather chagrined looking god. Despite the slight grimace on his face, the god Heero had called Treize was impressive with his ginger hair suavely brushed back and his blue eyes sparkling with palpable power.  
  
"You always did know when one of us was watching, Heero."  
  
Twisting his lips in distaste, Heero motioned for Treize to sit by him on the bench. He truly hated asking for help, but to find his lost love, he would swallow his pride.  
  
"You still have power that most of us don't. Help me find him."  
  
Treize did not need clarification who the 'him' was. All the gods and goddesses knew who it was. They had belittled Heero when he had actually gone and fallen in love with a mortal all those years ago, only to be shocked when Heero had gone into seclusion after his death.  
  
"Heero," Treize said gently, "you can have your power back, you know. All gods without power can come back into it. Why don't you try?"  
  
"We've been over this Treize. You are the god of war. Every mortal worships you because they are constantly fighting each other. They offer you sacrifices, adore you. I, on the other hand, am the god of wind. Ever since science figured out how it worked in the atmosphere, I stopped being worshipped."  
  
"I'm sorry about that, you know, as I am sorry about all the other gods who lost their worshippers and their power along with it. But why not make a mortal worship you? If you had unconditional adoration from just one mortal, you can have power again."  
  
Heero shook his head impatiently. He had not called Treize down for yet another lecture in regaining his powers. It happened at least once a century, Treize bugging him to use his immortal godliness to lure some mortal into worshipping him. Heero was fairly certain that he said the same things to other god despots, urging them to return to power with a bit of manipulation.  
  
"Look, I don't much care about any of that. Besides, we're all going to be deposed one day, even you, Treize. People just don't believe for that long."  
  
"I know, but I'm going to never give up on being in power. More than that, Une would never forgive me if I did."  
  
That got a rare chuckle out of Heero. He had not seen Une since the last millennia, but he could imagine that she was just the same as before. Une was also one of the few gods who still retained power. After all, she was the patron goddess of scorned women and there was never a lack of those.  
  
"How is Une? Has she inflicted any horrible vengeance on behalf of her followers lately?"  
  
Treize let out a full laugh. He loved his queen dearly, even if she was quite the hand full sometimes.  
  
"Oh, Heero, you should have seen what she did to this one mortal! One of her worshippers sacrificed a large boar at her shrine and begged that the man who left her for another woman never know the touch of a woman again. And since my darling is a sadistic, scary goddess, she turned that poor bastard into a tapeworm in some disgusting mortal's intestinal tract for the length of a human life with human thoughts. Did I mention I love my queen?"  
  
The two gods caught up on some news and passed the time. Heero sometimes missed his kind, the way they could all interact like a large, dysfunctional family. He figured that was why he sought out other gods on earth occasionally, even Relena.  
  
"Treize," Heero said to break the light atmosphere, "help me with the divination. I need to find him."  
  
Within a split of a second, the jovial look disappeared from Treize's face and was replaced by a somber look. He knew that if he ever lost Une, he would be devastated, perhaps for the rest of eternity. Of anyone else in their kind, Treize knew what Heero must have gone through for the last fifteen hundred years.  
  
"I will help you, but only because I know you won't stop harassing me until I do."  
  
"Thank you, Treize."  
  
Heero was truly grateful. Finally, he could find what he had lost. He watched as Treize waved his hand over the auguring table and saw it flicker in a myriad of colors.  
  
"He is not in the Well of Souls. He must have been reincarnated."  
  
Heero nodded and let Treize continue. It had taken him all day to even break into the Well of Souls, but it had taken Treize mere seconds to scan the vastness of the Well. He should have called Treize hours ago, damn his pride.  
  
"So," Treize said conversationally, "it seems that Relena finally gave you the Pendulum Signet."  
  
A short nod confirmed Treize's suspicions.  
  
"I'm surprised she gave it to you at all. It is one of the most guarded secrets of the Fates, you know."  
  
Heero shrugged and let it drop. When Relena had hinted that she could give him the Pendulum, he had been elated. He had thought that she would just hand it over to him then and there, not run away from him for three hundred years. But the Pendulum was pesky like that. Unless given freely by one of the Fates, it lost its power. And somehow, he had finally convinced Relena that he needed it and she had given it to him. For that, he would forever be grateful to Relena, no matter what she said about the price it required.  
  
"I hope you know, Heero, that Dorothy and Noin are most unhappy with Relena for giving up the Pendulum. You know how possessive they are about their toys."  
  
"I supposed as much," Heero said without feeling, "but Relena did it on her own. She had the right as the Weaver of the Future. If the other two Fates don't like it, what concern is that of mine?"  
  
Treize sighed. It was true, then, that Heero did not care about anything or anyone except this one mortal he loved. He would not care if Relena was shunned by her own sisters for her act. Shaking his head in defeat, Treize swept through the earth through the auguring table, looking for the one thing that might bring Heero out of his desperate pain and apathy.  
  
+  
  
Four figures furtively made their way down a darkened alleyway, their footsteps muffled by the soft, squishy mud beneath their feet. They had been on the move all day and most of the night. It was safe to say that all four were tired and hungry, but the need to get out of town was stronger than anything else.  
  
Duo snuck his head out of the alley carefully, looking to either side for signs of people. The lanterns were lit, but they were burning low due to the lateness of the night. The street was quiet, almost eerily so, but since they all worked best under these  
  
circumstances, it was perfect. When Duo determined that the coast was clear, they walked quickly and noiselessly across the empty street into yet another alleyway. If anything, these guys knew this town by heart. It was standard to know the layout of virtually every major town as an assassin.  
  
So far, they had not run into anybody from the assassin's guild. Mostly, it was because Duo and Wufei were the top assassins. No one could match Duo in stealth nor Wufei in single combat. Quatre was also quite adept in moving through the darkness and he had shown an uncanny ability to strategize their escape down to the last route. So far, the escape had been tense but not dangerous.  
  
At the end of the alley, the three assassins and their witness climbed over the wall and out of the town limits. It was not an easy wall to scale, covered in slippery moss and various poison ivy types, but they were professionals. They made it across without slipping or contracting any itchy rashes. Once over the wall, they made a run for it, an all out sprinting race towards the cover of the woods a mile and a half outside of the town.  
  
They did not stop running until they were deep into the forest cover and even then they only slowed to a trot. Finally, when the sun began to rise over the covered horizon did they halt to take a moment to breathe and rest.  
  
"I hurt."  
  
Quatre nodded in agreement with Wufei. None of them were used to running for so long at such a fevered pace, especially without rest or food.  
  
"We should eat and sleep some. I think we have some leeway here."  
  
Quatre took command of the situation and made everyone sit and eat a small amount of food out of their packs. Then he set up a schedule for keeping watch, putting Trowa as the first sentry while the rest of them got some sleep. He made sure that each watch was only an hour long and that everyone would get three hours of much needed rest. Of course, no one objected, glad to let Quatre take control of the situation. Besides, Quatre seemed to excel as a leader and they saw no reason to contradict him.  
  
After their rest, they were on the move again. All were tired, but none thought to complain. Their lives were at stake and none of them had the energy to waste on talking. When the sun went down and darkness claimed the landscape again, they stopped again, this time for the full night. Quatre watched over the camp preparation, making sure that the fire pit was dug deep enough to hide the brightness from onlookers while Duo and Wufei caught some rabbits for their meager dinner. The mood was a bit bleak due to their tiredness and constant running, but Duo wasn't going to let it last for too much longer.  
  
"Okay. We came pretty far today. And we covered our tracks really well, too. I think we can relax just for a moment, say like for half an hour, to talk and joke around. Right, guys?"  
  
That brought forth a chuckle from Trowa. It was true that they were not in the best of moods, but that should not force them into a depression. No, at times like this, it was his job as their witness to make sure that all of them was mentally sound.  
  
"So, do you think Catherine's okay?"  
  
"Yes, Trowa. She's fine. Wufei and I took care of her while you and Duo panicked about the situation."  
  
"We did NOT panic. We were way on top of our shit before you guys decided to tag along on our suicide mission, thank you."  
  
"You do not know gratitude, you big mouthed idiot," said Wufei with a sly look, "but I will overlook that for the sake of peace."  
  
"What do you mean you took care of Cat?"  
  
Three heads swiveled towards Trowa. He had sounded almost.. afraid.  
  
"We took care of her."  
  
"That does not make me feel better, Wufei!" Trowa said with uncharacteristic fire. "I know you don't like her, you're an assassin, you say you took care of her.. do the math!"  
  
Duo let out a merry laugh at Trowa's near panic. He couldn't help his reaction, really. He was tired, the adrenaline rush had long worn off and the image of Wufei 'taking care' of Catherine just caught him as funny.  
  
"Trowa, man," Duo said between his bouts of laugher, "you are so out of it if you think Wufei would kill your sister! I mean, why bother? Won't she die on her own from some exotic disease sometime soon?"  
  
"Are you mocking my sister?"  
  
Quatre gently laid his hand on Trowa's shoulder and Trowa visibly relaxed. If anything, Duo knew that making fun of Catherine was a sure way to get his butt kicked by Trowa, but it had been too irresistible.  
  
"I'm sure he's not, Trowa. And don't worry, we put Catherine at a safe place with some people I know and trust. She will be safe."  
  
Duo had to hand it to Quatre. Once again, he had diffused a potentially violent situation between friends with words. Why he was an assassin instead of a highly paid diplomat or negotiator was beyond Duo's comprehension. If he had the skills Quatre had with words and leadership, he would not have become an assassin.  
  
"So, who has a good fun story?"  
  
And that began a rather relaxed night filled with past encounter stories and other reminiscent bits. They made fun of each other, poked at each other's sensitive issues and other crude but fun things that brothers did to each other. They laughed and cheered each other on in making fun of each other. The merriment would have continued if they hadn't sensed a person coming near their camp site.  
  
All sounds died and Duo quickly put out the fire with some dirt. All four took defensive stances, looking in all directions with their bodies ready for action. Soon, it became apparent that whoever was approaching their camp had no intention of sneaking up on them at all. Whoever it was, he made too much noise and gave away too many signs to be from the assassin's guild.  
  
The clouds gave away to the bright summer moon and the intruder stepped into the light without hesitation. Duo could only stare with his jaws barely holding together as a beautiful man with tussled brown hair and silvered blue eyes entered their space in an easy pace. He had never seen someone so beautiful in his life. He almost doubted his eyes.  
  
"I finally found you."  
  
The husky voice filled with eons of longing and desire reached Duo's ears with a sharp pinprick of recognition. It caused him pain and joy in equal amounts without giving him a solid reason for feeling that way. All Duo knew at the moment the man had spoken was that he somehow was destined to be with him.  
  
And he hated it.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_Draw me a picture worth a thousand words and I will write a poem worth a million pictures._  
  
The tension was thick, almost solid in the air. Relena sat on a comfortable chair with her skirts arranged around it in a lady like fashion while her sisters stared holes into her head. She understood why they were angry, of course, but that did not make the confrontation any easier. She glanced sideways at her younger sister Dorothy, the master of the past and nearly flinched from the intense glare. Dorothy's frozen blue eyes were positively glacial and dripping with icy rage. On the other hand, her older sister Noin was more composed in her anger, sitting across from her quite calmly with her delicate hands folded over her lap. Relena almost hid behind Noin to escape Dorothy's gaze, but she didn't. She would stand by her decision and make sure that they understood why she had chosen the path that she did.  
  
"Sister dear," Noin said smoothly, "care to explain to us why you gave Heero one of our most prized possessions?"  
  
A half smile formed on Relena's face, tentative and nervous. She wondered if her sisters would understand her reasons.  
  
"Yes, sister," Dorothy jumped in with an icy edge, "do tell us. Tell us why you gave away the Pendulum Signet, something we have never even considered parting with on any circumstances!"  
  
Sighing deeply, Relena reconsidered her answers. She could say that she had given Heero the pendant because she had pitied his pained state. That was part of it, truthfully speaking. But a bigger part of the gift had not been mere pity nor a hope for his happiness.  
  
"I did it to repent for our past mistakes."  
  
"We made no mistake! We are the Fates. We never make mistakes."  
  
Relena snorted at Noin's insistence.  
  
"Oh, but don't we, sister?" Relena said with spite.  
  
"We see the flow of time as it passes over mortals. Dorothy, you can change a mortal's past with a blink of an eye and send him spiraling to a different destiny. Noin, you can shape a life in the present, cut off their life at a whim. I can see the possible futures for mortals and choose a path for them, regardless of what they want. We have controlled them for so long that we forgot we can make mistakes."  
  
"Just what mistake did we make with Heero's mortal anyway? We did for him as we would for any other mortal."  
  
"Dorothy, you are as arrogant as you always were," Relena replied heatedly, "and you can't see how much we damaged one of our kind by being whimsical with his heart."  
  
Noin raised her hand and stemmed the tide of cruel words to follow. She, as the oldest, had to maintain a level head.  
  
"Relena, you know as well as I do, we do not inform anyone of our decisions. It was Dorothy's choice to make Heero's mortal lover love him. It was your choice to have the mortal follow Heero into that lair. And it was my choice to end his life there. What more could we have done? Heero knew that his mortal could die at any moment. It is not our responsibility to coddle him."  
  
Relena shook her head in frustration. Her sisters just did not understand.  
  
"That's not what I mean, Noin. We had a choice. We could have just let Heero's mortal go fall in love with someone else, fated it so that those two never even met. But because we destined him to love Heero, we permanently killed something within him. We all knew that Heero would love him! We saw it. So what if we can't control the lives of gods? We manipulated Heero's by playing with a mortal. Can't you see that we are at fault?"  
  
Noin exploded. Relena had no other words for her sister's sudden burst of anger.  
  
"How dare you question! There is no fault! We destined him to love Heero and that is that. So what if Heero fell for him? It was his choice, not ours. He damaged himself, not us. There is no responsibility. And you, in your stupidity, gave Heero a means to overstep what we have set out for his mortal in this lifetime! Don't you get it, Relena? If Heero uses the Pendulum, not only will he become mortal, but the two of them would step outside of destiny! That is unacceptable! No mortal can be out of our control."  
  
Relena bowed her head in mute defeat. The Pendulum would create a void for Heero and his lover, a void free of their meddling, of fates, of destinies. They would become radicals within the world order for eternity because their souls would forever be outside of their reach. But she didn't care. It was the only way Heero could have his lover back. If he and his lover did not step outside of their control, she and her sisters could make everything go badly again. She could not bare to do that to Heero, not again. No. She would make sure her sisters did not interfere.  
  
"It's too late!"  
  
The horrified scream from Dorothy made Relena look up from her lap. Her sister's blue eyes were wide with terror, her blond hair whipping about her body as she shook from disbelief. Her own eyes widened at the same time Noin's did. Yes, it had happened. Heero had used the Pendulum.  
  
Now, the rest of his life and his lovers were up to them.  
  
+  
  
Trowa and Quatre eyed the stranger warily, their hands ready to reach for weapons at a moment's notice. Wufei had not let his eyes wander far from him either, but his eyes were filled with downright hostility. But the stranger did not seem to notice the three of them at all. He was too busy staring at Duo, his face slack with joy.  
  
"All those years.. finally, we can be together again."  
  
Duo did not understand what the stranger was talking about. He had never seen him in his life, had he? He figured he would remember someone like him. So Duo had to conclude he did not know this odd but gorgeous man. Then why did he feel as if he should know him, that he should have some ties to him? And why did he resent him so much? There were questions that he could not answer swimming around in his head, clamoring for resolution.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
Heero smiled at Duo's hesitant tone. His lover definitely looked and sounded different than his previous incarnation. He was no longer an auburn haired, green eyed boy so carefree with his affection and trust. No, his lover was now a beautiful boy with long, brown hair in a braid with sparkling violet eyes. His lover was also a wary, deadly being without fondness for those he did not recognize.  
  
"I know you don't remember me," Heero said softly, "but I have remembered you for fifteen hundred years. I loved you for that long and will continue loving you for eternity. I am Heero."  
  
Heero's elation turned to confusion when his lover burst out into laughter. He stared at his mirthful lover as he literally fell to the ground when his knees gave out from the laughing.  
  
"You.. you.. you love me? For fifteen hundred years? Are you fucking crazy?"  
  
Heero had expected disbelief and other unpleasant things at his first encounter with his beloved. After all, he did not know of him currently. But something about the way he spoke bothered him, almost made him afraid.  
  
"I do love you."  
  
Duo let out a fresh peal of laughter as he heard the sincerity in Heero's voice. He wasn't laughing because the situation was funny, but because it sounded so true.  
  
"Fifteen hundred years? Is that even possible?"  
  
"For a god, it is."  
  
The laughter stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Duo stared at Heero with wide eyes, knowing his friends were doing the same. A god. They were face to face with a god.  
  
"You really expect me to believe that bullshit? You are a god? As in, powerful, all knowing and all that shit?"  
  
Heero nodded, the grim look on his face growing more pronounced. He did not recall his love being so foul mouthed nor so disrespecting. His lover had been one of his worshippers after all, adoring him and loving him like no one else. But this current incarnation was different. The soul was the same, yes. But the package was nothing like he remembered.  
  
"Heero, you said, right? Heero, if you are a god, prove it."  
  
"I refuse."  
  
Duo shook his head in disbelief. This Heero expected him to believe whatever he said without any kind of proof. Who had that kind of faith in anyone these days? And why did he feel compelled to believe him anyway?  
  
"Okay, fine," Duo said with a trace of annoyance, "then at least prove that you love me."  
  
That got Heero confused more than ever. Prove his love? How did one go about doing that?  
  
"I have loved you for more years than you can imagine. Is that not enough?"  
  
"No, it's not. What's my name? What color do I like? What do I say when I'm pissed off? Do you know anything about me at all, oh great god Heero?"  
  
"What does any of that matter?" Heero replied, "you are the same soul I love. I would love you regardless of what is on the outside. It is your soul that counts."  
  
This time, the laughter was tinged with bitterness and mockery. Duo could not believe the nerve of this Heero who claimed to be a god. He loved him, did he? He has loved him for that long, has he? Then why did who he was matter so little? Did that not merit any kind of love?  
  
"Sorry, buddy, wrong answer. You don't love me, just some guy who died a long fucking time ago. So fuck you, fuck me, get lost."  
  
"No!"  
  
Everyone in the clearing blanched at the absolute fury and pain behind that one word uttered by Heero. It was incredible how a small word could contain so much.  
  
"No," Heero repeated, "I will not. You will remember me. You will see that you love me as I love you. Then it will be as it should be."  
  
Without waiting for a response, Heero pulled out the Pendulum Signet and held it aloft in his hand. He did not notice that all four mortals had gotten their weapons out, ready to strike him if he made a false move. He did not see how Duo's eyes glittered with both anticipation and fear. All he saw was his own lonely soul within the pendant, longing for the one thing that could assuage the pain.  
  
"Remember me."  
  
Heero's words activated the Pendulum Signet. The pendant flashed brilliantly in indescribable colors, shooting out beams of light towards Duo in steady waves. Heero felt himself being drained by the pendant as well, but he held on until the pendant was done.  
  
Trowa, Quatre and Wufei, at the emergence of the light from the strange object in Heero's hand, tried to get to Duo and help him. However, their bodies were rooted to the ground, unable to move, even unable to utter a sound. They watched helplessly as Duo was assaulted by light, his face a study of every emotion available to a human being. They saw Duo cry out in joy and fear, laugh in love and hate, thrash in passion and darkness. After what seemed to be an eternity, the lights stopped and Duo collapsed to the ground.  
  
"DUO!"  
  
The three of them could finally move and they rushed over to their fallen companion's side. They frantically checked for a pulse and signs of breathing and found that he was still alive. He had just passed out. Angrily, Wufei stalked over to Heero and punched him in the face as hard as he could.  
  
"What the fuck did you do to him?"  
  
Heero merely wiped the small trickle of blood from his lip and smiled. He could feel it. He could feel his mortality. He felt the vibrancy of life more because he now could die. The Pendulum Signet had worked!  
  
"I just helped him remember us."  
  
Having no reply to that cryptic remark, Wufei went back to Duo's prone form. Whatever had really happened, he had a feeling that their lives had just gotten more complicated than ever.  
  
+  
  
The world was a sluggish blur, moving slowly and thickly around him. Duo wanted to open his eyes and check out what was happening, but his eyelids were not cooperating. He could hear noises all about him – the wind rushing, the water falling, the grass moving. And somewhere in the distance, he heard a voice.  
  
"Oh, Heero, aren't these beautiful? They are the color of your eyes!"  
  
That voice was cheerful and almost child-like, ringing with an innocence that Duo had never experienced. He dimly wondered who it could be. Who had that kind of innocence anymore? Certainly not him. He had shed his innocence when he had been sold into the assassin's guild by his abusive father and apathetic mother. He envied the owner of that carefree voice, the way it glided over him in gentle waves of comfort and contentment.  
  
Then it occurred to him. The voice.. it had called to Heero. Heero, the boy who had suddenly stepped into his life with grandiose declarations of love and immortality. The boy who had made him angry with his words of love. Duo forced his eyes open and felt the sharp, stabbing pain from the sunlight . He waited for his vision to clear and then looked about him.  
  
He was mildly surprised that he was floating in midair, his body parallel to the ground. He swiveled his head around to his right, towards the direction of that human voice and saw a boy about his age prancing around the grassy field below him. The boy was clad in a tunic of some sort belted at the waist by a rope, running on barefoot. His shoulder length auburn hair had violets and larkspurs in it, contrasting sharply with his big, clear green eyes. His pale skin seemed almost too translucent in the bright sun, seemingly more colorless because of the vibrant red of his hair.  
  
But what attracted his notice more than the boy was the figure following behind him. There could be no mistake about it – it was Heero. The dark brown hair mussed by the wind lay haphazardly over his beautiful face, nearly covering the deep blue eyes. Heero had very little clothing on, just something that could pass for an indecent loincloth, his bronzed skin bare to the entire world and Duo's eyes. Duo had to admit that Heero was perfect physically and that there had been an instant attraction when they had first met in the campsite. But this Heero he was seeing did not have that painful and desperate look in his eyes. Instead, this Heero was brimming over with joy, almost bouncing as he followed the redhead around the field.  
  
'Is that who I was? That innocent boy?'  
  
Duo felt tears gather behind his eyes. So, that was the boy Heero had loved for so long. He was looking at what his soul was fifteen hundred years ago, housed in a compact body that radiated innocent joy.  
  
'Heero really must be stupid! I'm nothing like the boy he loved.'  
  
That thought pained him somehow. Duo didn't really understand what was going on with his emotions at all when it came to that enigmatic boy. But he knew that he didn't love Heero. No, he didn't. He couldn't. The one who loved Heero was down there on the field, auburn hair and green eyes, running around and laughing. And that was the one Heero loved. Heero did not love Duo Maxwell, the assassin with eyes too old for his pixie face, the boy with a crude sense of humor, the one who did not trust people without a good reason.  
  
Duo continued watching as he floated in midair, trailing his eyes over Heero's lithe body and rippling muscles. It was too bad that the guy was so beautiful. As he watched, he saw the scene fade away slowly, the colors leeching out of the landscape and the light growing dimmer. The last thing Duo saw before darkness engulfed him was the boy and Heero entering a small cave hand in hand. And somehow he knew that whatever that happened in that cave would make him understand his resentment for Heero and the pain behind Heero's eyes.  
  
+  
  
"Thank goodness you're okay! We thought he had done something horrible to you."  
  
Duo winced as he lifted his head off the dirt and opened his eyes. He saw that it was getting light, the dawn just filtering in and the evening star dying out. He also saw three very concerned faces of his friends.  
  
"I'm good. Just a splitting fucking headache."  
  
Just then, Heero stepped into the tight circle of his friends and reached out his hand. Just before Heero could caress his face, Duo jerked out of reach and slapped the hand away.  
  
"Don't touch me unless I tell you that you can, okay?"  
  
Duo knew that he had sounded irritable and unreasonable, but he could not help it. Whatever he had seen while he had passed out had affected him more greatly that he let on. The image of Heero laughing and loving that boy had only proven that Heero did not love him. Duo turned his head to look at Heero defiantly, but he lost all malice when he saw the immeasurably hurt look shine so darkly out of the deep blue eyes. Instead of feeling justified for his actions, Duo felt like a cruel jackass.  
  
"I.. I don't understand," Heero spoke quietly, "I thought you remembered. Don't you? How you felt about me? You must have remembered."  
  
Sitting up completely, Duo faced Heero. His friends backed up to give him some room, but he still felt their curious eyes on him.  
  
"Yeah, I guess if you can call it that, I remembered. I saw you all googly eyed over a boy who is nothing like me. He was an innocent boy. Packaging aside, as you say, the one you loved and I are nothing alike. Not a damn thing alike."  
  
"That isn't true! It can't be. You are the same soul. How can a soul change?"  
  
"That's us mortals for you, Heero," Duo replied scathingly, "we change a whole fucking lot according to our environments. So get it through your fucking head! I am NOT the same guy you loved! I don't even love you!"  
  
The pain that shot through his heart when he spoke his last sentence almost ripped Duo into two. However, he covered it up the best he could, trying not to grimace or shed tears at his statement. He did not love Heero. He didn't.  
  
"I don't believe you. I can't. Say you're lying to me. Say it!"  
  
Duo saw the anguish that was shredding Heero apart. The beautiful god before him was suffering, more so than he had before. It hurt him to see Heero like this, even if he didn't want to feel that way.  
  
"Damn it, Heero, if you want me to love you so fucking much, make me love you! And you better love me for who I am, not for what I was! Can't you see the fucking difference?"  
  
Heero sat back abruptly at Duo's ultimatum. He could not believe that this was how it turned out. After all he had gone through in fifteen centuries, after giving up all that he was, this was the reward. There was no declaration of eternal love, no joyous reunion, just a heartache that surpassed the aching pain that he had been through.  
  
Relena had been right. This hurt worse than before. She had known and had tried to warn him. Heero could feel a hysterical bubble of laughter building in his chest, clawing its way through to his mouth. He knew that if he started laughing, it would be over. He would be driven into madness. But no, he was stronger than this. What was that his love wanted? To be loved as he was now, not what he remembered? To make him love all over again?  
  
"I will," Heero said in a shaky voice, "I will make you love me again. More than before. And I will love you. No matter what."  
  
The relief that washed through Duo's system was incredible. For a moment, Duo had been deathly scared that Heero would just walk off and never deal with him again. He could admit that there was an attraction, a tie between them. But he still felt that resentment, that hatred he had first felt when he saw Heero. It was as if he wasn't in control of his emotions, his life. He hated that feeling and it had become worse when Heero had just demanded that he love him. But with Heero at least trying to do what he asked, the resentment was less, the hatred faded a bit. Maybe, just maybe, this could work.  
  
"Okay then. It's a deal."  
  
Heero finally smiled. If this was his only chance with his beloved, then he would not waste it.  
  
"Hi. My name is Heero. And you are?"  
  
Duo shook the proffered hand and began again.  
  
"Duo. Duo Maxwell. Nice to meet you." 


	4. Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_If death is so final, why do we let ourselves die a little each day?_  
  
Wufei tensed up his legs and launched himself forward, his daggers in hand. His target went down under him, flailing his limbs and gave Wufei the perfect opportunity to plunge one of his daggers between his ribs into the heart. He checked on the others and saw that they were managing just fine as well, even Heero. In fact, Heero's addition into their pack had helped immensely as much as he hated to admit it. He was more than a competent fighter and he seemed to possess battle instincts that surpassed even his. If anything, watching Heero fight had made him believe that he was a god.  
  
Soon, all the assassins that had been sent after them were dead. Wufei had killed two while Trowa and Quatre had taken care of the large and skilled assassin they had only known as the Bear. Duo and Heero, surprisingly, had fought well together as a team, taking down the other three assassins with uncanny ease.  
  
Wufei walked over to Trowa who was busy checking out the bodies of the dead. Even on the run, old habits and rituals died hard.  
  
"So, Trowa, know them or what?"  
  
Nodding, Trowa proceeded to tell them who each and every one of them had been in life. The Bear was an assassin who was too big for sneaky work so he had killed in crowded streets or in fake bar brawls. He had been a dirty, large man and quite a hard kill for a slender witness and the small blond assassin. Wufei's two were the Twins, Mika and Mera, the brother and sister who had specialized in tracking, killing with a deadly swiftness that nearly emulated Duo in style. Duo and Heero's victims were Yaska, Songstress and the Gash, quite noteworthy assassins but still not skilled enough to take any of them down.  
  
"These were no beginners," Trowa said with deep concentration, "but real professionals. They all have been in the job longer than us. Hell, Yaska was an assassin before any of us were born. The guild is not happy with us."  
  
Duo smirked away Trowa's concern and continued to wipe blood of his knife blades. He tried not to notice the way Heero stared at him in mute concern, his eyes roving every surface of his body in an effort to find a wound or hurt.  
  
"Well, if that's the best they can send, we shouldn't worry so much."  
  
"That's no reason to let our guard down, however." Quatre admonished. Duo's smirk gave way to a sour grimace. Of course he knew that they couldn't slack off. If anything, they had to intensify their guard and be on their toes. Even though these guys had been the first assassins they had taken care of, there would be more. The guild would not stop until they were dead, even if it meant they had to send everyone in the guild after them. As Wufei would say, it was a question of honor.  
  
Shrugging his shoulders, Duo sauntered out of the clearing that they had fought in, leaving his companions and dead bodies behind him. He wasn't going anywhere far, but he wanted to be alone. His life was definitely not what he had planned when he was younger. He had wanted to make enough money as an assassin, get out of the guild and set up a new, peaceful life somewhere in the grassy fields. Hell, he had even wanted horses and chickens. But now, he was on the run, perhaps for the rest of his short and miserable life.  
  
"Shit. Why does my life always take the worst possible turns?"  
  
"Perhaps that is your destiny."  
  
Duo turned towards Heero. Heero was yet another part of his life that was complicating. They had been on good terms for the past two weeks of running, even talking for hours like old friends. In a way, he supposed that they were old friends.  
  
"Destiny, you say? What is it about destiny that pisses me off so much?"  
  
Heero cocked his head quizzically at Duo's bitter tone. He had been trying his best to get to know his beloved better, trying to get him to open up to him. His lover had issued an ultimatum and he wasn't going to fail, but at moments like this when Duo seemed introspective and cynical about life, he had no idea what to say. So he just let him speak.  
  
"I know all humans have destinies. I know it. We are all supposed to fit in the lovely tapestry of the universe and all that. But damn it, what does that leave me? What the hell am I? A fucking puppet? Do I even make choices or am I just walking on a path that someone already laid out for me? Shit, Heero, you're a god. No one controls what you do. How does it feel to be completely free like that?"  
  
"I don't know what you mean," Heero replied, "but being a god is no better. It's not about who has control. It's about enjoyment, isn't it? As long as you enjoy what you have, does it matter who chose it for you?"  
  
Shaking his head, Duo sauntered over to Heero and clasped his hand onto his shoulder. Heero looked startled for Duo never voluntarily touched him. This was the first.  
  
"It does to me."  
  
Violet eyes trapped cobalt in an intense fire and for Heero, there was nothing else but Duo's eyes and his voice.  
  
"If I love you, I want it to be because I chose it. Not destiny, not fate. I don't want to be destined to love you. That takes out all the things I hold dear, doesn't it? If I was destined to love you, I would do it no matter what. Whether you were a total asshole or a fucking prince charming, I would love you because I had to. I don't want that. It's all about me, you see? I want to. I choose to. Me. And that's what I hate about this whole fucking situation."  
  
"What do you mean?" Heero said, his voice no more than a raspy whisper.  
  
"I mean, my soul cries out for you. Something in me is compelled to love you. Ever since I saw you, it has been there, telling me that you are my destiny. But I don't want that. I don't want to love you because my soul in another body loved you thousands of years ago. I don't want to love you because the Fates decided that I should. I want to love you because you have beautiful eyes, a stoic sense of humor, a poetry about you. Do you see?"  
  
Heero nodded slightly without breaking their eye contact. He could understand what Duo was saying. It was admirable of his love to want to be free, to break out from the chosen path. But at the same time, it was frightening. What if he did escape destiny? Then would he love him at all?  
  
"Duo, if destiny didn't control you, would you still want to love me?"  
  
"I don't know, Heero. But I would like to see if I could. I like you. You are a good guy, if a bit off your rocker. And you chose to love this soul of mine for a long time. That does mean something, whatever I say to the contrary. But tell me, Heero, when you think of the one you love, do you really think of the soul?"  
  
Heero almost blurted out yes. He had meant to, but the answer never made it to his lips. He did love the soul, of course. His love's soul had been the most beautiful thing, pulsating with warmth and life that seemed endless. Duo had that soul in his body now, with the same glow, the same intensity. But the more he thought, the more he realized what he missed in his love. He had loved those green eyes filled with joy, the red hair that glinted like copper under the sun, the pale skin that showed hints of blue veins beneath. He had loved the touch, the feel, the taste of his love as much as the brightness of the soul. He had longed to hear his uninhibited laughter, undisguised excitement in his voice. He had wanted to bask in the glow that was his love's warm and encompassing personality.  
  
He had loved so much more than just the soul. He had loved the entire being.  
  
"No answer, eh, Heero? Then try this on for size. What do you love about me?"  
  
"I.. I.." Heero stuttered, stunned by the question. What could he say? He knew that he loved Duo, but was it really only because he had been chasing his past lover through time without knowing the full import of love? Heero thought hard as he stared into Duo's inquisitive yet sensitive eyes. Then without conscious thought, words flowed out.  
  
"I love the way you smile when you talk to your friends. It begins slowly at the corners, tilting only until your teeth barely show. Your eyes light up and you seem to glow. I love the way you talk, all crude words and harsh language that try to hide how deeply you think and how intelligent you are. I love the way you challenge me, making me come up with answers to questions I never asked myself. There is more, too much more for me to say."  
  
Duo released a breath he had been holding. When Heero wanted to, he could really knock his mind for a heady loop. No one had ever said anything about him even close to what Heero had just told him. Not his parents, not his friends, not his victims begging for their lives. It touched him to the heart, each word embedding itself firmly into his brain. Smiling, Duo tugged Heero towards him and then they were leaning into each other in a tight hug, reveling in the sensation of being held by each other for the first time.  
  
"Heero, I think you love me," Duo whispered into Heero's neck.  
  
Heero tightened his hold on Duo and buried his head into the rich, brown hair. He was finally getting a small inkling as to what love really should be. Fifteen hundred years of pining and suffering had taught him nothing, but the past two weeks with his active beloved had given him a new view on love.  
  
"I think so, too."  
  
And for now, that would be enough.  
  
+  
  
Trowa nudged Quatre lightly with his knee under the table, eliciting a shy smile from the blond. They were flirting with each other subtly, trying to drive one another crazy during dinner without alerting the others. It was hard work, trying to keep their romance subdued during these desperate times, but it was also adventurous and fun. They were so absorbed in each other that they missed Wufei rolling his eyes at them.  
  
"Do you two mind? I'm trying to eat here."  
  
Wufei watched his words swim over the two love-bird's heads as they inched closer to each other. He could not believe that they thought they were being subtle. Moreover, they were in a public setting, trying to blend into the dinner crowd at the small restaurant they had deemed safe enough to eat. Unfortunately, his friends were not trying to blend at all. With a long suffering sigh, Wufei eyed the other pair at the table. Unlike Trowa and Quatre who were too sweet for words, Duo and Heero gave off waves of heat. It was almost too intense for him, the way they would just stare at each other without words.  
  
When Heero had first shown up, Wufei had disliked the idea of him following their rag tag team. Now that Duo seemed to be warming up to him, he didn't mind the idea so much. He had to concede that Heero was a good fighter and not much of a liability when it came to defenses and running. More than that, the guy was a god. Not only was he incapable of dying, he probably had powers that Wufei had only dreamed about. But all that aside, Duo seemed to genuinely enjoy Heero's company. They talked all the time when they were alone, or so Duo had told him, and Wufei had sensed a change in Duo. He didn't glare at Heero with mistrust in his eyes anymore. Instead, there was a soft light in his eyes that changed his intense violet eyes to clear amethyst. The biggest change, though, was that they touched.  
  
Before, Wufei had to keep Heero away from Duo in an effort to keep the errant god from accidentally brushing up against his best friend. It had been Duo's request. Then, little by little, Duo had let Heero come closer to him until one day, Wufei had caught them holding each other. Neither knew that he had seen them in their intimate pose, but it had warmed Wufei's heart to see Duo held so tenderly. It seemed that Duo was finally accepting the love Heero had so arrogantly and selflessly offered.  
  
"I wonder if they even know that it's so obvious that they are in love."  
  
Wufei started from his revelries and glanced at Duo. He was staring at Trowa and Quatre who were still cooing at each other with amusement glinting in his eyes. He also had his left hand resting on Heero's right hand, holding onto the fingers loosely. Wufei smirked and wondered if Duo knew how obvious it was to others how he was beginning to feel about a certain cobalt eyes god.  
  
"I don't think they care. I mean, look at them. Do they even know we're talking about them?" Wufei countered.  
  
"We hear you perfectly fine."  
  
Duo chuckled at Quatre's rather annoyed retort and saw that Heero was trying to conceal his smile. Wufei laughed outright, not bothering with tact.  
  
"Then stop the madness before I get sick! There's only so much a guy can take, you know?"  
  
With Wufei's gentle jab, so began the evening repartee among the four boys and one ex-god. The other patrons in the restaurant watched them indulgently, all of them thinking how it was wonderful to be young and in love.  
  
+  
  
Hilde watched from the shadows, her face buried deeply into her cloak. Her table at the restaurant was in the far corner where many could not notice her, but with a good view of the table with five boys. Her companion sat next to her seemingly interested in her stew, but she was also looking at the five boys.  
  
"Sally, you are sure that we're only supposed to kill the two."  
  
"That's what the guildmaster told us, but how are we supposed to kill just the two and let the other three live? I'm sure they'll try to defend each other. Look how close they are."  
  
Hilde nodded in agreement. Their assignment had been to kill Duo and Trowa, otherwise known in the guild by their work names, the God of Death and the Silent Watcher. She could not understand how they could have failed in their assignment. They had the reputations as the best in their guild, always succeeding even in assignments that others had deemed utterly impossible. But orders were orders, and the guild had offered them a hefty sum after the previous group of assassins had failed to return alive.  
  
But there had been conditions, of course. She and Sally were forbidden from killing the Angel or the Warrior. She had no idea what their real names were, but the that's what they were known as in the guild. The Angel was a green rookie from what she heard, all blond and nice, probably their weakest link. The Warrior, however, was almost as legendary as the God of Death himself in combat and skill. He would not be easy to keep alive if he chose to fight. And the fifth guy, they had no idea who he was or what he was like in combat. He just seemed very, very close to Duo.  
  
"Our best strategy," Sally began in a low voice, "would be to separate Trowa and Duo from the rest of the group, but from what we have seen, it would be nigh impossible to get blue eyes away from the God of Death and the Angel seems attached to the Silent Watcher."  
  
They had been following the group for three days now and still they had no viable strategy. All the constraints on not killing the Angel and the Warrior complicated a relatively simple if not completely dangerous assignment. And they had no idea if that fifth guy was expendable or not. The miracle was that the five of them had not yet recognized the fact that they were being tailed. Hilde was good and Sally was one of the best in tracking, but they had been apprehensive that they would have been noticed long before now.  
  
"I could put a sleeping potion in their drinks and we can just kill the two while they are all asleep, but they don't ever drink out of the same cup twice or the same pitcher. They know all our tricks. And since the God of Death knows you and the Warrior knows me, we can't just saunter up to them like girls looking for a good time either."  
  
Hilde nodded and pondered the situation. If they didn't kill the two soon, it would be they who would have to run. The possibility did not sit well in her stomach – she hated running.  
  
"So what do we do?"  
  
"Watch and wait. That's all we can do for now."  
  
So they sat in their dark corner, sipping their wine and eating their stews, waiting for someone in the group to make a mistake.  
  
+  
  
Relena sighed as she felt her lovely leather boots sink into the mud and soak into her silk stockings. The town was a miserable, little place filled with vermin and other unpleasant bugs, but she had to warn Heero. She had to tell him that her sisters were plotting against him and his lover. She imagined her sisters would not be happy with this course of action either, but after everything that had happened, it did not matter. She could not stand idly by as her sisters once again ruined Heero's life.  
  
Walking delicately through the mud, she looked up at the door. The lacquered wood was chipping at the corners and showing signs of age, the hinges rusted by many a rainstorm. Why Heero had chosen to come this way, she did not know, but she had never understood some of his idiosyncrasies. She looked at the door in distaste. The letters saying 'Mishia Restaurant' were almost all scraped off, the red paint practically bleeding in the incessant humidity. Breathing out through her mouth to avoid the stench of the mud and whatever else was mixed into it, she opened the door with one delicate hand and stepped into the restaurant.  
  
At first glance, she did not see Heero because the lighting was dim. There were random lanterns and a fireplace in the middle with a pig rotating on it, but they did not help with the lighting. When her eyes adjusted, she saw Heero at one of the tables near the spit, his hand wrapped in another's. He looked reserved, but she could sense that his pain was considerably less than the last time they had spoken.  
  
He had not sensed her presence, but he was a mortal now, so it was to be expected. Gathering her courage and her skirts, she walked over to the table where Heero was, her steps measured and careful. When she was close enough to the table to reach out and touch Heero, he suddenly turned his head and saw her. She saw his eyes widen in surprise and she began to smile warmly. There was no trace of malice or the previous pain in those blue eyes, but a long missed look of quiet contentment.  
  
"Heero, I have some news for-"  
  
Relena never finished her sentence for as soon as she had opened her mouth, the one holding Heero's hand had bolted from his seat and grasped her by her upper arm. One of the others at the table had also stood with a disbelieving and wary look in his one green eye uncovered by his long brown hair while the other two merely stared at her like she was a ghost. Heero was watching with confused interest, not quite knowing why Duo and his friends were acting so strangely.  
  
"You!"  
  
It was a hissed whisper filled with venom and Relena flinched from the sheer force of anger behind the word. The grip on her arm tightened and she tried to shake her arm out of the bruising hand, but it was firmly grasped. She was about to use the last resort to pull out of the situation when Heero stood and separated her from her assaulter.  
  
"What is the matter with you?" Relena spat out from the relative safety provided by Heero's shielding body. "You can't just grab a lady like that!"  
  
"Fuck you! You hear me? Fuck you. You fucking dead woman! You are the reason why we are like this! So.."  
  
Heero saw what Duo intended to do, but he could not stop it. His love was a professional assassin and moved faster than he did, especially now that he was a mortal. He watched as Duo reached around him to yank Relena out from his protection and bury a blade between her eyes. The restaurant patrons watched in horror, much like his companions at the table as the apparent murder of a lady took place. Heero did not notice the two darkly garbed figures at the corner of the restaurant make a hasty exit. He only saw Duo with rage blazing from his eyes digging the blade deep into Relena's startled face.  
  
Suddenly, everything seemed to move faster. While the restaurant goers still gawked and gaped, Trowa and Wufei grabbed Duo by his arms and dragged him out as quickly as possible while Quatre gathered their belongings. Heero picked up Relena's body and followed them, ignoring the stuttering crowd behind him.  
  
There would be a whole lot of explaining to do by both Heero and Duo when Relena came back to life once again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_If you only concentrate on pain, then you forget the joys of life. That is the greatest mistake of all._  
  
Far outside of the town, far beyond the chaos and the scene of a gruesome killing, five boys rested and fought for breath. The running had been frantic, none of them stopping until they had finally run out of energy. Quatre sat hunched over slightly, his hands resting on his thighs limply, his breath coming in pants. Wufei and Trowa were no better off since they had practically dragged a nearly inanimate Duo from the restaurant until he had finally come to his senses and ran on his own.  
  
Duo stood and watched Heero gently put down the body he had brought with him. For anything, he could not understand why Heero had brought that corpse with them. He would not ask why, but wait for Heero to explain his behavior. And if he liked the answer, perhaps he would tell Heero why he had acted so out of character by giving into his rage and killing someone he had already killed once.  
  
While everyone was striving to attain normal heartbeats and breathing patterns, Heero sat near Relena's body and thought very hard. He did not know what had set off Duo so suddenly, but the trouble they were in now was much greater than what it had been. An entire restaurant filled with people had seen Duo kill Relena. And no matter how backwater the town was, the news would travel along with their descriptions. Somewhere, someone of consequence would find out that Relena Peacecraft had been murdered and she would not be able to return to her former life as a princess. Even more pressing, they would have the local authorities looking for them on top of being chased by the guild's assassins.  
  
This whole situation was a horrible mess.  
  
"Duo," Heero said suddenly, "why did you kill her?"  
  
It was a simple question, a logical one even. But for some reason, Duo had not been expecting it. What could he tell Heero, that he had already killed the person he had carried out from the restaurant with a knife planted in her head? Then he remembered. Heero was a god. He would believe, if not give him the benefit of the doubt. But something nagged at him. Just before he had seen who had approached their table, Duo had seen Heero's eyes flash with a recognition, friendly yet wary. Then he had seen Relena standing over them and had lost his proverbial shit. All the stress of running had come boiling over in that one moment, the frustration and anger focusing on the one specter of a girl who had literally ruined his life. The facts spoke for themselves, really. Heero knew the dead girl.  
  
"You knew her, didn't you," Duo said, trying to keep the accusation out of his voice, "and you tried to protect her."  
  
"I ask you once again," Heero replied with steely fire behind his voice, "why did you kill her?"  
  
"Because she's already fucking dead, Heero! I killed her weeks ago! Trowa fucking confirmed it. And if it weren't for her.. none of us would be running for our fucking miserable lives!"  
  
Several things connected in Heero's mind at once. First, he finally realized that Duo had been the assassin who had killed Relena that first time around. Second, he recalled the careless suggestion he had made to Relena about just ignoring her death and going on with her life. Third, he had not told Duo anything about Relena's incapacity to die nor her participation in the current situation.  
  
The horrible mess of a situation had just transformed itself into a catastrophic mess of a situation.  
  
"Oh, shit."  
  
That was the best Heero could do under the circumstances. Had he more time, he would have become more articulate, but Relena chose that exact, awkward and terribly mistimed moment to reenter the land of the living.  
  
"Ow."  
  
At her utterance, four sets of disbelieving eyes turned to what was supposed to be her corpse. Relena was slowly standing, the knife still firmly entrenched in her head, the dried blood flaking off as she grimaced. Heero winced as Duo lost muscle control of his legs and literally plopped onto the ground. Trowa , Quatre and Wufei weren't doing much better.  
  
"I can't see. What's going on?"  
  
It was almost too funny to see Relena grope around, but enough was enough. Duo looked as if he would go into a hysteria fit and Heero would not have his love lose his mind over something as common as a god coming back to life. It happened all the time and he had done it several times himself. Although he had to admit, he never did come back with mortals around.  
  
"Please tell me I'm fucking seeing things. Tell me I went insane."  
  
The nip of panic was evident in Duo's trembling voice and it was echoed by Wufei who was pinching his leg in an effort to prove that what he was seeing was not real.  
  
"Duo, if you're insane, so am I. And I swear, we're probably having the same hallucinations."  
  
At the poor attempt at humor by Wufei of all people, Trowa let out a small laugh tinged with a whimper. Quatre merely put his arm around the taller boy and squeezed him lightly, giving him reassurance that even though there were crazy things happening before his eyes, he still had his blond beloved to support him.  
  
"No one's insane and there are no hallucinations," said Heero, "since Relena can't die."  
  
Four gasps of surprise accompanied Heero as he moved to Relena and helped her sit. His long time friend let him guide her since she still could not see.  
  
"Heero, I have the most awful headache."  
  
Duo could not hold back his laughter at that. Of course she had a headache, she still had a knife in her head, through her brain!  
  
"I know, Relena," Heero replied, keeping out the long suffering sigh out of his voice, "but you'll be fine. Once we get you cleaned up, we all have to have a talk."  
  
Heero felt four pairs of eyes watching him with fascination as he grasped the knife handle and yanked for all he was worth. He felt bad when Relena whimpered in pain, but it was for her own good so he continued to pull. Soon, Heero was successful extracting the knife and Relena was relieved of a massive migraine.  
  
The mortals were back to being silent and in shock, unable to process the fact that Relena was now sitting on her own with a gash in her forehead. Then when her wound started to close on its own rapidly and quite neatly, four sets of jaws hit the ground with an audible thump.  
  
"Okay. I have officially seen everything."  
  
Duo craned his neck towards Trowa who was still standing only with Quatre's support. As a witness, Trowa had seen more than his share of the unusual and the gruesome, but this act of resurrection must have been the one thing he had not counted on seeing in his lifetime. Then again, none of them had expected to meet a god either.  
  
This was turning out to be the most bizarre adventure-run-for-their-lives situation.  
  
The spell hovering over the four boys which had paralyzed them with shock came to a sudden end when Relena recovered enough to notice the state of her dress. Her beautifully sewn lace and fluff concoction of silk was ruined, stained with blood, mud and grime from the restaurant floor.  
  
"Oh geez! Look at my dress! I love this dress! Why do these things happen to me?"  
  
Her complaint about the state of her clothing seemed so incongruous to the current mood of everyone else present that it actually brought Quatre to the verge of laughter. He manfully held it back, but he nearly choked on it. Trowa thoughtfully patted his beleaguered love on his back to prevent him from dying by suffocation.  
  
"Is that all you can say after dying?"  
  
Relena turned to the incredulous voice. Her eyes encountered a set of dark, brown eyes with dilated pupils, peering at her like a hare caught in a trap. She noticed that his dark hair was pulled back into a tiny but stylish ponytail and she absently noted that his hair could use the services of a brush.  
  
"I die often. I don't usually ruin my best dress, though."  
  
Once again, speechlessness abounded. There really was nothing they could say to that.  
  
"Relena," Heero finally interjected, "they don't know that you are a god. You shouldn't play around with them."  
  
This time, Quatre could not hold back his laughter and it sparked the others to burst out in laughter as well. Wufei collapsed onto his knees next to an already sitting Duo, holding his stomach with his arms as he shook in mirth. Trowa's shoulders were shaking in what was a soundless laugh, barely holding onto Quatre as they chortled in unison. Heero and Relena threw the laughing mortals a wide eyed glance – they had not been expecting this reaction at all.  
  
"A god," Duo breathlessly let out, "another fucking god. I swear, this is something! All my fucking life, I go through it normally and boom! In a space of two fucking weeks, two gods! What the hell?"  
  
Heero hesitantly approached his giggling love, uncertainty shining out of his cobalt eyes. Duo seemed a bit hysterical and his eyes were glassy, as if he was in complete shock.  
  
"Are you okay, Duo? I know this is a bit of a shock-"  
  
"A bit? A fucking bit? Do you even know what's going on in my fucking head right now? Shit, Heero! I finally come to terms with you being a god and now another one's just been thrown into my fucking face! And to top that off, it's the same chick who ruined my fucking life! So don't tell me that this is a bit of a shock!"  
  
Duo stopped his ranting, pausing to regain his breath. He had shouted at Heero and the world in general, exhausting his already taxed lungs. He breathed hard, noting absently that Heero had the most pained expression on his face. He wished that Heero would say nothing more, just hoping that Heero would keep quiet and not ruin any more of his reality. However, Relena had other plans for Duo's sense of sanity.  
  
"I ruined your life?" Relena huffed out indignantly. "That is untrue! Who is the one who stuck a knife into my head back there? Who ruined my precious dress? And all I wanted to do was help out Heero!"  
  
Trowa saw that Duo was staring at Relena with murder in his eyes, but it seemed that the assassin could not yet speak or move. Being the good witness that he was, Trowa decided to barge into the conversation.  
  
"You ruined our lives, Miss Peacecraft. Duo killed you weeks ago and had we known that you were a god and could not die, we wouldn't have bothered. Now, thanks to you, we're running for our lives."  
  
Relena regarded the boy who had spoken in cold silence. He was nothing special in her eyes, not like Heero and her kind. Just an average human with green eyes that hid behind a wealth of hair.  
  
"Is that so," she said in a voice laced with contempt. "So it was you and your rabble that killed me in the first place! Well, you deserve all you get! Thank the heavens that Heero suggested I punish you like this!"  
  
If there had been shock and disbelief before, her last statement allowed those two emotions to deepen to levels yet unattained. Eyes shining with shock swiveled towards Heero and he squirmed under the scrutiny. However, the worst was when he turned his pleading eyes to his love and found that the violet orbs were etched in anger, shock and betrayal.  
  
"You? You did this to me? To us?"  
  
Nearly crumpling at Duo's venomous tone, Heero tried to explain. He had to make Duo understand before all the work of the past weeks dissolved underneath this one gigantic misunderstanding.  
  
"No! I didn't mean to.. I mean, when I told Relena to just pretend nothing had happened.. I didn't know it was you! I swear, Duo. I had no idea who had killed her."  
  
"Like that matters now? You and Relena single-handedly ruined four lives!"  
  
Fuming at the braided mortal's insolence, Relena could not help but defend herself and Heero.  
  
"You have no rights blaming Heero for this. He only lived to find his beloved! Nothing else mattered, not even his own kind. And as for ruining your lives, it was fated to be this way. Nothing Heero and I did can change that!"  
  
Duo finally stood and whirled to face Relena. She had said the word that he resented the most and had thrown it into his face.  
  
"Oh, now I get it," Duo said heatedly. "I was fated to lead this shitty ass life! I was fated to be an assassin! It was my fucking destiny to run for my already miserable life! Nothing I can do, is that it? No matter what choices I made, what any of us did, we were meant to be hunted like fucking dogs?"  
  
Relena turned her nose against Duo, disdain dripping from her face in buckets.  
  
"Look, you foul-mouthed mortal, fate is something that you must accept. I should know!"  
  
When Relena had insulted Duo, however slightly, Heero took exception. No one, not even one of his oldest friends from the family, could speak like that to his beloved and expect to get away with it.  
  
"Relena, don't you dare. You may not speak to my beloved thus."  
  
A small wrinkle appeared between Relena's delicate blond brows as she took in Heero's firm warning. Understanding dawned soon afterwards and she gaped as she stared at the bad mannered boy who had spoken to her. She took in the long, honey streaked brown hair in its plait, the cold and hard violet eyes, the lean body and snarling mouth in one sweep and let out a high pitched noise.  
  
"Him? This one? This is your long lost beloved? Heero, I thought you had better taste! You wasted your immortality on this one?"  
  
"Shut up, Relena!"  
  
But it was too late. Heero turned in horror to look upon his beloved's incredulous face, caught between relief that he finally knew and the stinging fear that Duo would think less of him. Sometimes, his own family seemed to conspire to make his life more complicated than he had planned.  
  
Duo saw Heero's face frozen in too many emotions for him to sort through. He had heard right, though, if his friends' faces were any indication. Relena had said that Heero was no longer immortal. More than that, Heero had given it up for.. him.  
  
"Is.. is that true? Heero, tell me, is it true?"  
  
Guilt wracked Heero. Duo had sounded betrayed, echoing that look in his eyes. The broken and wary voice was so unlike his beloved's usual cheer and sarcasm. But it was no good to lie. Heero tried to prepare what to say. It had to be just right or Duo may never speak to him again. Heero's efforts were foiled yet again.  
  
"Of course it's true!" Relena replied in Heero's stead. "You are one ungrateful and unbelievably selfish mortal! Heero gave up being a god for you and you are still yelling at him, making him feel bad!"  
  
Without waiting for a reply, Relena whirled on Heero. "And you! I told you so, didn't I, Heero? I told you that the pain you will feel after finding him would be a thousand times worse than what you felt without him? Why didn't you ever listen to me? Now, it is just a big, huge mess! You are mortal, your beloved doesn't seem to even appreciate what you did for him, and to top it all off, my sisters want to obliterate you!"  
  
She had a captive audience, listening to her impassioned speech. Trowa and Quatre listened with rapt attention, her passion carrying them along in a river of emotions. Wufei could only respect Heero for the ultimate sacrifice he had made, but he still could not fully accept the truth that Relena offered. Duo, for his part, was in so much shock that his body and mind were barely functioning.  
  
Heero seethed at Relena's assumption that she could speak for him. He could see that she was doing more damage than good by trying to defend him. While he appreciated her efforts, it was not what he needed at this moment in time. What he needed was a moment alone with his beloved so that he could explain things more fully, with more attention to detail and care towards Duo's overloading emotions.  
  
Then a small detail that had escaped all of them seemed to snag in Duo's faltering consciousness and he saw fit to ask a question on it.  
  
"You.." Duo coughed and began again, forcing his voice to be less rusty. "You said.. your sisters? They want to.."  
  
Despite the shock and betrayal still coloring his tone, Relena could sense a world of concern and worry beneath his unfinished question. She may have been right in predicting that Duo did not care for Heero as he cared for Duo, but she could see at least that Heero mattered to Duo. Even if the foolish mortal would not admit it to anyone.  
  
"My sisters are after Heero. And you. Duo, you said your name was? Right?"  
  
When she received a feeble nod, she continued. "Well, Duo, you and Heero are my sisters' targets and I came here to warn Heero about it when you decided to sheath your knife into my skull. I'm not at all sorry about you being on the run, though! You killed me and you deserve all the punishment you get."  
  
"How could I deserve it," Duo said wryly, "if I was fated to do it, eh?"  
  
There was no swift come-back to his almost too logical statement. Relena thought hard to bring down the mortal for his sin of mercilessly assassinating her, but there was nothing to say. This time, Heero spoke in Relena's stead.  
  
"That's right, Relena," Heero drawled almost too smugly, "since you're the Weaver of the Future. I'd say, if anything, you were responsible for your death."  
  
After a moment of huffy and offended silence, Relena retorted sharply.  
  
"That is not true! I only set them on their course, not set out every single choice they make! That's Noin's job!"  
  
As soon as she had spoken, she realized that everyone was staring at her, Heero with sardonic amusement and the mortals with astonishment. It was Wufei who recovered first with powers of speech.  
  
"You are a Fate? A true to life, orders-us-to-do-shit kind of Fate?"  
  
Relena nodded tersely even though she did not like the description he had given. Her acceptance of her status sparked something in Duo, however, because he once again lunged in and grabbed her by the arms. Thankfully, he did not plunge yet another sharp pointy object into her face, but he spoke to her in low tones as sharp and deadly as any knife.  
  
"You. If anything, you are to blame. You fucked with my life so it would be like this and you have the goddamned nerve to tell me I deserve to be punished?"  
  
Again, Heero separated the two, putting his body between the enraged boy and the gaping Fate. "Stop it, the both of you! Duo, it is not her fault that she controls your life, that is her job. And Relena, Duo's not at fault for your death, that was what he had to do. Can't you both just let it go?"  
  
"Shit, Heero," Duo spat, "how can you say that? Don't you understand me at all by now? Don't you realize how much I hate being controlled like this? Who the fuck knows? The way I started to feel about you is her doing, right? Everything that's happening is all her and her fucking sisters, right? So how the hell can I just let it go?"  
  
Instead of waiting for Duo to calm down or Heero to explain, Relena spoke. This time, she did not inflame the situation further, but actually worked to quell the raging emotions.  
  
"Duo, stop being angry with Heero. Isn't it enough that he gave up everything for you? And more than that, you are no longer under my control. That is why my sisters want to have you and Heero banished from existence. Not dead, but gone. Wipe out your souls."  
  
That brought everything to a halt. The anger died out from Duo's eyes as swiftly as a doused fire and Heero was able to finally hear what Relena was saying. Trowa, Quatre and Wufei watched the exchange closely, their curiosity peaked and their mind whirling with possibilities.  
  
"What?"  
  
With Duo's intelligent opening gambit, they were finally able to sit and talk the matter over. The night would be a long one filled with revelations and future troubles, but finally, there would be an understanding within the group.  
  
However, throughout the long night, none of them would notice two pairs of bright and interested eyes watching them from the shadows of the woods.


	6. Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_Truth is never in the eyes of its beholder, because it simply does not exist._

The sharp and loud noise of nails tapping against a marble surface reverberated throughout the impressive sitting room, echoing off the vast ceiling adorned with a crystal chandelier. The room was large and stark, hardly decorated in any fashion, but it spoke of style and grace. It was the kind of room only the privileged were able to have, all marble and rose stones with furniture that was older than most civilizations.  
  
The nails continued their tapping, steadily clicking against the marble table, almost toppling over intricately carved chess pieces upon it with the incessant movements. The nails were painted in a faint orange color only available to the extremely wealthy and they were attached to the pampered and soft hands of a beautiful lady. She not only had exquisite hands, but also had miles of sunlight blond hair and blue eyes the color of winter lakes. Her peaches and cream complexion covered her exotic face perfectly and the only flaw that anyone could make out was her strange forked eyebrows.  
  
Across from this stunning vision sat Milliardo Peacecraft, the prince of the kingdom. He eyed his lady guest warily, his gloved hands idly playing around with chess pieces near him in a seemingly bored fashion. He tilted his head slightly, his own platinum locks falling gracefully around his shoulders down his back. His own icy blue eyes then looked into his guest's.  
  
"Lady Dorothy, I believe you said. The note you sent me tells me that you have a business proposal. Please, do tell me what you would like from me."  
  
Dorothy smiled like a cat with a flock of canaries in its stomach. She did appreciate handsome and urbane mortals, even if they were mere puppets to her strange whims. This one in particular was quite a specimen and she flipped through her brain to find out every last detail about his past. She would have bugged Relena for his future path as well had her sister not betrayed them and gone off to who knows where.  
  
"Your Highness," she began in a lilting voice, "I'm here to say that you need not worry about Relena any longer and that I will be happy to help you achieve the throne."  
  
All the years of politics and maneuvering for position in the royal court worked in his advantage as he kept the surprise out of his eyes and face. Lady Dorothy was no trifling trying to play her meager hand at politics. No, she was a skilled adversary who knew how to drop subtle hints into innocuous seeming conversations. And she had hinted rather generously that she knew that it was he who had beset assassins upon his beloved sister.  
  
"You don't say, my dear lady," Milliardo replied without showing any emotion. "And why would you believe that Relena is a problem? She is my most beloved sister."  
  
A mocking laugh joined the tapping nails in echoing off the walls. It was a beautiful sound, but also terrifying in its predatory edge.  
  
"My dear Milliardo, why don't we stop dancing around the topic? I know that you hired the guild to kill Relena and that they failed. And of course I know that you have hired yet another group, this time from the murderer's guild of all places, to finish the job the assassins blundered. Am I not right?"  
  
This time, Milliardo allowed the rueful smile to blossom on his face. It was to be blunt honesty, it seemed. It was quite refreshing and a welcomed change of pace from the double talking and veiled speech he was used to.  
  
"Quite right, Lady. Do you mind if I inquire as to your sources? You are very well informed of my activities that no one else has any clue of."  
  
Dorothy's smile was all gleaming white teeth, but it managed to look friendly somehow.  
  
"Oh now, Your Highness, you wouldn't be as uncouth as to ask a lady to reveal her secrets! But I will say, I am very well informed. You would be very surprised to know what kind of information I have within my fingertips."  
  
Milliardo considered her answer carefully. She had not exactly dodged the question, but she had not answered fully either. It was clear, however, that she had one hell of a network that fed her correct and dangerous information. He mentally noted to do a palatial sweep later on to find spies and informants later; it would not do to have his secrets get out into the general public.  
  
"Not surprised," Milliardo continued in his smooth and cultured voice, "just very impressed, My Lady. Your spies seem most skilled. And so, Lady, why is that Relena is no longer my worry?"  
  
"She is dead." Dorothy said without a trace of regret. "There has been a gruesome murder in a small town quite a distance from here. Mishia, I think that is the name of that town. Plenty of witnesses."  
  
Milliardo frowned slightly. He was not aware of such developments.  
  
"I haven't received a confirmation of a kill from the murderer?s guild yet. How do you know for certain that it was Relena? And what was she doing there in THAT little hole in the ground?"  
  
"Oh, you won't be getting any confirmations from the murderer's guild. They had nothing to do with it. It was just a case of random violence. How.. fateful for you, don't you think?"  
  
She watched one of Milliardo's well formed eyebrows arch up in a classic show of 'is that so' without smiling too broadly. The fact that Relena had died had not been fate, of course, since she was a Fate, and moreover, since the mortal who had killed Relena was out of their control, destiny had not had a hand in it at all. The irony was only clear to her and Noin, however. They were determined that no one else, not even those in their own family, would know about the two free agents roaming around the tapestry of fate unguarded and uncontrolled.  
  
"How very convenient for me that Relena is dead. So, my dear Lady, how will you help me get the throne?"  
  
"Oh, I have my ways, Your Highness," Dorothy replied with a sharp grin, "but I can't tell you exactly how. It would spoil the fun and the intrigue."  
  
Milliardo accepted her explanation for now since he had next to no information on this mysterious girl. Instead of questioning her on her methods, he decided to play along and see where this went.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of spoiling your good times, Lady. But if you are willing to help me, there must be something you want from me as well. That is the way the game works, is it not?"  
  
"You are quite right, Your Highness. I do have something I want from you in return for my services."  
  
Milliardo did not ask further, but waited for her to elaborate. She did not seem the type to appreciate getting rushed along.  
  
"Well, Your Highness," Dorothy continued after a brief pause, "I want you to arrest a couple of people for me. And most importantly, I want you to make sure that they are not killed."  
  
With that, Dorothy unhooked a small bag from the underskirts of her dress and laid it on the marble chess table. She waited for Milliardo to take it and remove its contents before speaking further.  
  
"Those two must be in your possession within three moon cycles, Your Highness, if you want my help to the throne. I guarantee, if you hold up your side of the bargain, your throne is ensured."  
  
Milliardo did not completely believe her, but something in her voice told him that she was capable of doing exactly what she had stated. Apparently, this young lady had the power to put him on the throne and all he had to do was arrest the boys sketched in intricate detail on the paper he held.  
  
There were no names attached to these faces, but the pictures were striking. One was a boy with long, brown braid with spiky bangs hovering over his most unusual violet shaded eyes, smiling in impish delight. The other was a serious looking boy with unruly dark brown hair that flowed every which way, his cobalt blue eyes blazing like twin stars within his handsome face. No names, but they would be easy to identify. No one would be able to forget these faces.  
  
"You have a deal, My Lady."  
  
Two boys for the throne. Milliardo smiled and counted his lucky stars. However, he was too convinced that he had gotten the better end of the deal and he failed to register the gleam of malicious satisfaction in Dorothy's eyes.  
  
+  
  
The night waxed on as six people sat around a small fire in a clearing many miles away from the scene of political intrigue. Relena did most of the talking since she was the purveyor of news while the others interjected periodically with questions and surprised intakes of breaths. It seemed that even after establishing who and what she was, no one except Heero was comfortable with her position.  
  
"So," Trowa asked for the fifth time in that hour, "the Fates are going to completely decimate Heero and Duo for being free?"  
  
Heero twitched involuntarily and felt his hand clamp down on his leg. He had no idea that things would be this way when he had used the Pendulum Signet. He had been under the impression that all the Signet would have done was to free Duo's past memories buried within his soul that he could love him again. He had not known that the consequences would bring about free radicals within the pattern of destiny. For as long as he had been a god, there had never been mortals who could claim to be free of destiny. And now, there were two of them, one of them a former god with infinite knowledge of the world and the other a mortal who had already wanted to rebel against his given path. They were a dangerous combination and it was no wonder that Dorothy and Noin were out to erase them from existence.  
  
"Look, I wish I knew more," Relena replied with a frustrated sigh, "but my sisters no longer trust me. I don't know how they are going to erase their souls, what their plans are, I don't know anything. The paths I have laid down for Duo is long gone, the thread unraveled from the tapestry. And because of Duo and Heero?s freedom from the path, they are affecting the choices I have made for all of you. They may even alter the decisions Noin has placed upon you. It is a complicated and ugly thing. All my sisters can see is chaos for the mortal realm ahead."  
  
"So we have no idea what?s coming, do we? And you can?t know either since you don't control Duo or Heero. What are we left with here, then? What can we do?"  
  
Quatre's voice had held his frustration at his feelings of helplessness plainly, but he had kept his face calm. He could not afford a break-down in the face of adversity, no matter how hard or complicated. He would not allow his family to suffer something worse than death.  
  
"When I look into your future, I see paths of glory and power. There are other paths as well, but I want to choose something glorious for you. But that no longer is steady. The way the Fates work in conjunction with the whims of the gods and the interplay of threads against one another is too complex for you to understand. I can give you options, but ultimately, the choices you make are up to Noin."  
  
"I just want to get this straight then, Relena. You are saying, even if you choose something that will somehow help Duo and Heero, even if we want to help them, your sister can make it so that we cannot act upon those wishes?"  
  
The regret shining out of Relena's eyes answered Quatre's question without words. There were choices, yes, but in the end, there was only one decision. And that would be made not by these mortals, but by Noin, the Fate who controlled present decisions and lives. Relena knew that her sister would not choose in favor of Duo and Heero, no matter what. In an essence, Duo and Heero were on their own, because thanks to her proud sisters, even their family and friends could be used as weapons against them.  
  
"This is one bitch of a situation, I have to say."  
  
Duo nodded in agreement with Wufei's bitter yet correct statement. It seemed that no matter what, there would be no way to avoid the ugly future that loomed before them. Duo and Heero could not depend on their friends as allies as long as they were controlled by the Fates and Relena could only do so much in constraining her sister's plans.  
  
"What can we do? I mean, how will I and Heero survive all this? Literally, it's the whole fucking world versus us."  
  
"Don't worry too much, Duo," Heero broke into Duo's anxious inquiry, "because I'll be here with you. I may not be a god anymore, but I can still protect us, whether it be from the world or from the gods."  
  
"How can you be so sure? How can you say that? Haven't you noticed, Heero? We are already on the run and to top it off, we now have to worry about being erased out of existence!"  
  
Relena watched in silence as Heero put a calming hand on Duo's shaking shoulder, soothing him without words. His eyes held a calm and peaceful light even in this awful turmoil, as if he had found what he had been searching for. She supposed that he had found it; it seemed almost as if he loved this incarnation of his lover more than the previous one.  
  
"We have to run, by ourselves, don't we."  
  
The question was laden with heavy sorrow and a sick kind of realization. Duo could only imagine what his future held for him now. He had railed against the Fates, destiny and Heero, telling himself that all he had wanted was the freedom to choose, to be free of all constraints. Unfortunately, he had never thought about the consequences of his most heartfelt desire. Was this worth his true freedom? A life of running, hiding, hoping and despairing? He raised his head to look at Heero when he did not answer and found himself drowning in twin pools of midnight blue as calm and serene as the still mountains. They held a confidence in them, in him, that he could not fathom.  
  
Heero believed in him, in them, with an unshakable resolve. Even now, after all Duo had said and done to deny that he loved him. And no longer could he blame his heart's reaction to a cruel trick of fate. Ever since the day he had met Heero, he had made his choices and laid his own paths.  
  
Somehow, along the way, he had fallen in love with this strange yet familiar boy all on his own. That thought alone chased away the despairing and frightening demons in his head to the recesses of his mind, comforting him and somehow offering him the strength to believe in Heero?s faith in them.  
  
"Running, hiding, none of that will help."  
  
Duo blinked, trying to cast off the haze his revelation had set upon him. Heero was speaking to him, ignoring everyone else in the clearing.  
  
"We must confront them."  
  
Duo and Heero heard the gasp from the others as the words left their mouths in unison, but they did not pay them any mind. It was clear. Their choice was made. It was time to pay a visit to the Fates.  
  
+  
  
"I just may take a vacation after this is over."  
  
Sally agreed with Hilde with a soft grunt. When they had set out to kill a couple of failures on the orders of the guild, they had not considered that they would run into such complications. Now, after eavesdropping, they were hip deep in shit. Or rather, gods and destiny.  
  
"We are so screwed."  
  
Yet another grunt followed on the heels of that statement. They were whispering quietly to each other huddled in the underbrush just outside of the boundaries of the fire?s light, observing and listening to the most absurd conversation. Worst of all, they both realized that their mission was bound to be a failure no matter what.  
  
"How the hell are we going to go up against a Fate? She can set us on the path to the most miserable future ever!"  
  
Sally clamped her hand over Hilde's mouth when her whisper nearly turned into her speaking voice. But that did not make Hilde's assessment wrong. They weren't up against mere mortals, they were head to head with gods.  
  
The situation was not acceptable.  
  
"If you can?t beat them, join them."  
  
Ignoring the look of utter surprise and shock from Hilde, Sally calmly stood and brushed off leaves and dirt from her black pants and shirt with steady hands. She gave Hilde a look that brooked no argument and watched as her protege sighed. After a moment, Hilde followed Sally's lead and stood with her. Without nary a word, they walked towards the camp fire and their new allies.


	7. Part 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_Death comes to us all, but life only comes to those who seek it._  
  
The crispness of the autumn air was more biting than refreshing to the wearied travelers walking on the barely maintained dirt road leading to the capital city. The sun was up, but it did not warm anyone with its weak rays and the wind was picking up considerably as time went by. It was nearly the end of the third month of running for this particular group of eclectic travelers and each showed the wear and tear of the harsh life they had suffered.  
  
Duo and Heero walked hand in hand, their digits clinging to each other more for comfort and support than warmth. The weather was a far cry from the humid heat they had met under; the heat had given way to this chilly weather nearly two weeks ago. But they had grown closer, so much more than anyone in their group had expected. In the time of stress, their relationship had blossomed until the love they felt for each other seemed a tangible and solid thing.  
  
Behind them walked an equally tired couple, also holding hands. Trowa's bangs which had defied gravity and tornado gusts now hung in limp dregs, the brown locks having lost their rebellious nature sometime during this harsh journey. Next to him, his short blond lover trudged on in silence, his sunny disposition long put to rest. However, their dismal situation did not put a damper on their soft and glowing love, but strengthened it like tempered steel.  
  
Bringing up the rear to this weary pack was an unlikely trio of Wufei, Sally and Hilde. The two women flanked the lone boy like bookends, eyeing each other over his tired head in silent communication. There was no love lost here, not since the day the two women had walked into their private world by the firelight nearly three months ago. It had been Wufei who had most strenuously objected to their alliance, citing numerous logical reasons and some idiotic ones. Ever since then, these three had been on edge with each other, none giving in to compromise.  
  
The trees shed their bright and colorful leaves, letting them dance on the breeze. Had it not been for their extreme exhaustion and the running, they would have appreciated the beauty of the nature surrounding them. But such was not the case and it was only with great effort that Wufei managed to sound civil.  
  
"How long are you two going to hover over me?"  
  
His low growling voice did nothing to intimidate Sally, but Hilde shrank back a couple of inches.  
  
"How long are you going to be a grumpy priss?"  
  
The growling rose a couple of decibels at Sally's pert and teasing comment. It wasn't that he did not like Sally or Hilde, but they somehow found ways to get on his nerves. He had no idea how they did it or why, just that they did it so regularly that it was becoming a ritual.  
  
"Why did you come with us again?"  
  
"Because," Sally replied to the question Wufei asked her every single day, "we don't want to die."  
  
Silence fell again as their verbal sparring ended. Not that it mattered, but Wufei rather enjoyed having someone to talk to who wasn't mired in a deep relationship. Although his friends did not ignore him and he was quite happy for them, it was different. Duo was so in love with Heero and had finally realized it. His friend had thrown away all reservations and mistrust of the ex-god and had whole heartedly admitted his love to everyone by the camp fire in that one fateful night. And then Quatre and Trowa had finally admitted to everyone what everyone had already known.  
  
That night had been filled with so many confessions, revelations and just plain new information that Wufei had felt his brain burst a major artery. Gods, Fates, allies, love and fear. Take them all, mix in a bag and shake vigorously to achieve complete chaos.  
  
Wufei grumbled under his breath as his thoughts took him back over the past three months. It had been hectic at first with the planning and integrating the new members to their group. But then it seemed everything had conspired against them and nothing had worked out.  
  
Heero and Duo's plan to confront the Fates had not borne any results so far, none of them having even glimpsed the elusive gods in their long trek over mountains, rivers and gods know what else. They had been jumped numerous times by both the assassin and the murderer guilds, chased around by the police and the army and had been chased out of more towns than they could clearly recall. Even though Heero assured them often that Relena was doing all she could to help them out by rethreading their destinies to match Duo and Heero's intentions, it had not been easy. The running was taking a severe toll on everyone.  
  
"Hey," Wufei called out when the silence became unbearable even for him, "it"s time to rest. I think Hilde is beginning to sleep on her feet."  
  
Only a slight wince indicated that Wufei had felt the indignant stab of Hilde's elbow into his ribs, but his pain was well worth it. Immediately, everyone halted and agreed with him on resting. Wufei looked at his traveling companions and realized that they had all been waiting for some excuse to rest; for that, he was doubly glad that he had suggested it.  
  
Seven weary bodies slumped to the camp ground only a half a mile off from the road. They dug into the bags for food and water, but there was not much of anything. They had not gone into a town for a few days in fear of endangering innocent people and their supplies were running low. Even with their daily hunt for food, it was not enough.  
  
"Shit. There's a colony of fuzzies on my bread.."  
  
Duo's complaint washed over everyone without making a single dent. All their food was like that, none of it in perfect condition. It was just barely edible, but it was all they had for now.  
  
"I can't believe that after three months, we still can't find the fucking Fates. Why can't Relena find them?"  
  
Quatre shrugged delicately at Duo's non-too-polite inquiry as he pondered the same question. Relena had assured them that she would do her best to hinder her sisters and help them out and so far, it seemed to have worked only partially. None of them were dead, none of them had betrayed Heero or Duo to the authorities and nothing too ugly had happened in their little group. In fact, it had been Relena who had threaded Sally and Hilde into their group. However, they were no closer to resolving their problem than they were three months ago.  
  
"We have to be patient, Duo. Gods are elusive creatures."  
  
A crude snort was all Heero received as response from Duo. He understood that Duo wanted to find the Fates and straighten out this mess one way or another as soon as possible, but there was nothing they could do to facilitate finding their whereabouts. Even when he had been a god, it had been impossible to find the Fates if they did not want to be found. Also, he was quite sure that Dorothy and Noin were avoiding Relena as much as possible as well, knowing that the future weaver was not on board with their plans.  
  
"I'm sorry, Heero," Duo said contritely after a moment, "but I just can't stand all this walking and not knowing. I want to figure this shit out fast, not only for our sake, but for our friends. I mean, look at them! They all look like death dragged them over a field of pointy and sharp rocks."  
  
"Thank you for that lovely description," Sally replied rather tartly in Heero's place, "but I disagree with you about how I look. I'm still quite lovely. And we chose to come with you so it's not your fault that we're all tired."  
  
Duo let out a laugh and spoke to Sally without disguising his frustration.  
  
"Oh, you chose to come with us? Haven't you learned anything? None of you chose anything! Relena did. The only people who chose to do something are me and Heero."  
  
"That," Sally said scathingly, "means nothing to me. I'm here to help. Whether I chose it or not, my sentiment does not change. Even puppets can sometimes think on their own."  
  
Somehow, it was Heero who defused the situation.  
  
"Sally, Duo does not mean to demean your choices. In fact, we appreciate your company quite a lot. My love is just tired and a bit cranky."  
  
"Cranky? What, am I a kid with the colic or something? Couldn't you have at least said irritable or something?"  
  
"Miffed," Trowa jumped into the fray without batting an eye, "would be my word."  
  
"Cantankerous." Wufei said without cracking a smile.  
  
"Bitchy." That was from Quatre, the well spoken one of the bunch.  
  
"Crabby." Hilde didn"t even miss a beat.  
  
"Ornery." Sally finished with a flourish and a triumphant grin.  
  
Five seconds later, everyone was laughing, including Duo. The tiredness seeped away a little and their short but much needed moment of hilarity took over. For a short time, they verbally sparred with each other light heartedly, forgetting about Fates, destiny and their moldy bread.  
  
For a while, the world seemed beautiful again.  
  
+  
  
Heero looked around the dark forest, trying to discern where his lover was. After their dinner of rabbits and more moldy bread, his lover had taken off from their camp site with a feeble excuse about wanting to be alone. Heero had caught that cautious and gentle look his lover had thrown at him just before he had disappeared into the darkness and had followed. His lover wanted to be alone with him and he would not disappoint.  
  
The steady footsteps took Heero farther from the camp site until he could no longer make out the flickering of the fire. He walked softly, but made enough noise to let Duo know that he was out there. With assassins and the police out looking for them, it would be downright dangerous and stupid to sneak up on his lover. A few more yards later, he heard Duo's voice, gently singing into the dark night.  
  
"Lost beyond the horizon, I search for you.."  
  
Duo's voice held a longing and a heartbreaking kind of love as he softly sang the words to an old ballad. Heero recalled this one rather clearly. It had been written perhaps a couple centuries ago by a lovesick bard about a coldly beautiful princess. When he had first heard it, it had seemed to be filled with pain of unattainable love. Yet, Duo made it sound like a true love song.  
  
"Following the fading starlight, I drift to you.."  
  
Heero walked closer, knowing that Duo heard him. Sometimes, it seemed that Duo did not need these tell tale sounds to know that he was near. Ever since the day Duo had found out that he was free from destiny, he had unabashedly loved him, showing him affection and joy even through the tough times.  
  
"Through this vast desert, I travel to you.."  
  
Heero found himself standing directly behind Duo as he sang the final verse, his eyes trained on the twinkling stars above. Heero could never tire of his lover's eyes, the shade of violet that was so uniquely his. Even though they had not made love, they were as close as destined lovers could be, perhaps even closer. After all, they loved each other by choice, not by mandate.  
  
"Lonely and dying, I thirst for you.."  
  
The song ended and Duo turned to Heero, his eyes visibly reflecting the silhouette of his lover in their darkened irises. Heero lost himself for a moment, staring at his own reflection in his lover's eyes.  
  
"I can't imagine how I ever thought you were the same as my former love."  
  
The words were out before Heero could think about them. Too late, his eyes widened and he stared in horror at his lover. But Duo surprised him yet again.  
  
"Can you tell the difference between me and him now?"  
  
The panicked horror receded from Heero's eyes as he realized that Duo had not taken offense at his careless remark. Instead, he was asking earnestly without a hint of malice or resentment.  
  
"I think," Heero replied with feeling, "that I knew you were not him from the beginning. I knew it, but I was blind to it by choice. For so long, I wanted what was lost, not what I could have. He was my past and you.. you are my future."  
  
"I'm glad you finally see me, Heero. I love you for that, you know. I know it's hard to give up on a dream that you have had for so long. Instead of him, you got me."  
  
Duo was surprised when Heero put his arms around his waist and drew him close. He felt Heero nuzzle his neck, breathing him in and sending shivers down his spine.  
  
"I'm glad that it is you I have. I finally let go of a ghost and found something real. This is perfect, more so than I ever imagined."  
  
"Really," Duo said, his voice tinged in laughter, "so it's your ideal to be running for you life with a bunch of vagrants?"  
  
"As long as it's with you."  
  
A small chuckle followed Heero's declaration. Both realized that they sounded like a cheap romance pedaled by bards across the kingdom, spouting words of love and commitment that seemed clich'd and trite. Yet, neither minded that they sounded like every other lover portrayed in books and poems because their words rang true.  
  
Heero drew back slightly from Duo and met his eyes, letting the dim light of the stars shine between them. Slowly and carefully, Heero leaned in closer, his lips hovering scant hair's breadth away from Duo's. The small space between their lips tingled with anticipation and desire, the electric heat of their mutual love crackling in the air.  
  
"Love you.."  
  
Duo closed his lips upon Heero's after his softly spoken words, letting his mouth fit to Heero's in perfect harmony. The electricity that only hovered in the air now jumped through their bodies, jolting the two with intense desire. The kiss escalated with their mounting need, their hands now roaming the contours of each other's bodies in frenzied journey. Breathing became harsh and almost an obstacle to their need to be with each other and their bodies ground together until their bones creaked beneath the pressure.  
  
Using self control that was almost inhuman, Heero managed to break away from the kiss for a moment, trying vainly to catch his breath. It was for naught, because every time he took much needed oxygen into his system, the heavy scent of passion and his lover flooded his senses. He could hear Duo's hitched breathing as well, just fueling on his desire to be with Duo more.  
  
"We.. we haven't yet.."  
  
Duo understood Heero's question without it finishing. It was true that they had not done anything more than desperately kiss and grope each other when time and circumstances permitted so far. It was hard to find time alone enough together to do anything more than that. Always, something interrupted or time just ran out on them. This time, in this small moment of solitude and desire, Duo wasn't about to let anything get in their way.  
  
"About time, don't you think?"  
  
Heero just crushed his lips to Duo's in response, knowing that his lover was as impatient and needy as he was. Tonight, they would make the time. Tonight, they would finally be together in body as well as in heart.


	8. Part 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_In the game of war, one must never fight to win, but to survive._  
  
The warp and loom were silly superstitions that mortals associated with the Fates, imagining three crones over a machine, constantly threading and weaving a tapestry. In reality, the Fates worked like any other immortal, vast in mind and detail, plotting lives without a twitch of their lovely fingers. The sunlit room looked warm, but there was nothing warm about the expressions on the faces of the Fates who sat there. The rose tinted windows did not soften their angered features nor gave comfort to their stiff shoulders.  
  
"Time grows short, Dorothy. Why hasn't Milliardo captured those two yet?"  
  
Dorothy polished her nails with a soft cloth while she pondered her sister's terse question. She looked into Milliardo's path that Relena had set before this whole mess began, glimpsing his future of greatness that her sister had graciously laid out for him. Then she flipped through her own knowledge of his past and found that nothing, whether it be in the past or the future, showed that Milliardo would be a failure. His ambition was too great.  
  
"It's hard, Noin. Isn't it your job to guide him along anyway?"  
  
"I can hardly be blamed," Noin said with disgust lining her voice, "since the two radicals are ruining all my carefully laid plans. So far, they should have been captured according to my weaving, but there is just too much chaos around those two. Every decision I make is being thwarted either by Relena who keeps changing paths on me or them who have no respect for universal order."  
  
It was the longest sentence Noin had spoken in the past three months of searching for the elusive rebels of destiny. Until now, she had concentrated all her efforts on guiding certain mortals to her cause, trying to find these two Relena had set free upon the world. However, it seemed that nothing was working out for the Fates.  
  
"My dear sister," Dorothy said rather gently, "we will have them. They are just mortals, even if they are free. They can't evade us forever. And besides, haven't you been working on the mortals who travel with them?"  
  
A frustrated snort answered Dorothy's question. Noin's pained expression was a study of rage and impotence rolled into one, a look that should never have graced a Fate.  
  
"I can't do it by myself! The three of us always must work in conjunction with each other to make it work. With Relena's defection, we are an imperfect team, pitted against each other. I can only work within Relena's parameters and she is not giving me any choices that would be helpful."  
  
"It is a tangled skein we weave, Noin."  
  
"I don't need your fucking metaphors, Dorothy!"  
  
The younger Fate shrank back at her sister's loss of control. It was frightening, something she had not seen in many millenniums. The situation must have been more dire than she had previously thought.  
  
"Calm down, Noin. I swear to you, Milliardo will have them!"  
  
"How can he have them," Noin bit out, "if I cannot see it!"  
  
A tense silence followed as Noin got up from her seat and paced around the room agitatedly. Dorothy merely plucked at her dress with a bland expression that hid her inner turmoil and fear at the situation.  
  
"It's nearly the end of three months. We have only another week and a day before time runs out! If we can't use the Raduleum.."  
  
Noin let her sentence trail. The consequences need not be spoken for it was obvious. In exactly a week and a day from this day, they had to use the Raduleum to erase the free mortals' souls or they would be free for another century and then some before it could be used again. And that was not acceptable to them.  
  
"Have faith, Noin."  
  
The irony was not lost on the two Fates.  
  
+  
  
The darkness did nothing to hide the presence of an ambush from the professional assassins who knew night as well as their own hands. The ambush ended with seven dead ambushers, all killed within moments after their failed attempt.  
  
Trowa picked through the bodies carefully, letting his trained eyes roam over the bloodied corpses in a dispassionate way. They were all soldiers from their style of dress and haircuts, professionally trained and well equipped with fine weapons. None of that had helped in the end.  
  
"Prince Milliardo's personal guards."  
  
With Trowa's announcement, all eyes went wide with confusion.  
  
"The Prince's own? What the hell are they doing hunting us?"  
  
"I wish I knew, Wufei," Trowa answered without taking his eyes off the bodies, "but I don't think they'll tell us."  
  
"Relena posed as a Peacecraft princess, didn't she?"  
  
Trowa nodded grimly at Duo's observation, and there was only one conclusion that he could draw. As far as they knew, Relena was dead to this world since the news of her demise had traveled quite quickly. Therefore, Prince Milliardo must have sent out his own guards to capture those who were responsible for her death. The mystery was how he knew that it was they who killed her that second time. Their descriptions had not been on any wanted poster they had seen so far.  
  
"I don't think this is vengeance."  
  
It still surprised Trowa when Quatre seemed to read his mind like that. However, he acknowledged that his lover had a point. For a vengeance, the pieces did not add up.  
  
"I agree with Quatre," Wufei said gravely, "since these guys weren't acting like they were going to kill."  
  
"A capture mission, then?"  
  
A silent nod answered Hilde's question, but other questions hovered in the air. Why a capture mission for a bunch of disgraced assassins? What was the plan? What was Milliardo up to?  
  
"You know, it would be really fucking nice if Relena showed up with some fucking information now and then!"  
  
Heero put a restraining hand on Duo's flailing arm, calming his lover down with a simple touch.  
  
"She is busy, too, Duo. We can't rely on her for everything."  
  
Duo knew that Heero was right, but that did not help his frustration level at all. He was tired of being ambushed, of being on the run. He just wanted to settle down somewhere with Heero and have a happy, fun life. Was that so much to ask?  
  
"Wait, I found something."  
  
Everyone leaned in closer when Trowa retrieved something from one of the bodies. It was a small scrap of paper folded many times, worn around the edges and turning brown from dirt and blood. It seemed like nothing until Trowa unfolded it.  
  
"Shit."  
  
Heero agreed with Duo. On that small piece of paper was a perfect rendition of their faces, down to the stoic expression on his and the smile on Duo's. The colored sketch had a wayward looking scribble on it on the bottom, almost illegible from the smudging.  
  
"Wanted alive. The rest are of no consequence."  
  
Trowa's serious voice added weight to the already dire words. It was chilling how such short phrases could clear up a situation.  
  
"The Prince wants just us two, Duo. It must mean that he's working with the Fates to bring us in for the.. eradication."  
  
Swallowing thickly, Duo clutched Heero's arm for support. No matter what kind of front he put up for everyone, the idea that he and Heero could just be erased from existence frightened him.  
  
"I guess we're expendable then."  
  
Sally sounded matter-of-fact, not bitter at all that the Prince considered them of no consequence. It was a nicer fate than the one laid before Duo and Heero certainly.  
  
"I knew you guys should not have come with us! I knew it. This is just.. this sucks."  
  
Wufei waved aside Duo's worries with a flick of his wrist.  
  
"Don't say that! We asked Relena to thread us in like this and this is the way it is. We're family, are we not?"  
  
"Well," Duo said with a hint of chagrin, "if you put it like that, how am I supposed to argue with you?"  
  
"You don't. Just shut up and accept it, okay?"  
  
Duo did not resist his urge to stick his tongue out at Wufei, but he did appreciate everyone's loyalty for them. Even knowing the dangers ahead, his friends had stuck with them, giving up their chances to be free of this mess. It was more than he could have asked for and it humbled him in a way he did not think was possible.  
  
"So what do we do now? Let the Prince come after our sorry asses?"  
  
It had been meant as a joke, a stupid and careless idea that Duo had tossed out to cover his reaction to Wufei's short but meaningful words. However, Heero did not think it as a joke; in fact, he thought it was a capital idea.  
  
"We should get captured. It's a sure fire way of running into the Fates."  
  
Jaw slack at Heero's determined statement, Duo stared at his lover in surprise. He could not be suggesting that they just give themselves up to the Prince for what the Fates had planned for them. When they had decided to meet the Fates, Duo had assumed that it would be on their terms, not the vicious Fates'. Getting captured and being dragged into confinement was not his idea of being on their terms.  
  
"Are you fucking crazy, Heero" We can't just.. I mean, what the hell.. Shit, we'd be handing ourselves over on a fucking silver plate with ribbons on top!"  
  
"But we'll have our confrontation, Duo. That is what we wanted."  
  
Sputtering at the airtight logic, Duo looked around to his friends for some help. Unfortunately, all his friends were taking Heero seriously, contemplating the supposed plan with sincerity.  
  
"Did everyone go insane while I wasn't watching?"  
  
Quatre shook his head in denial as he explained.  
  
"Duo, this is the best chance we have. You'll go straight to the source and you know you won't be killed until at least you see the Fates."  
  
"Shit, Quatre, it isn't death I'm worried about! It's that other thing they have planned! Besides, they want only me and Heero. What about you guys? You aren't suggesting I watch while the rest of you are killed off, are you?"  
  
"No, that would be fruitless," Quatre replied, "so the plan should be that we split up and follow you from a distance."  
  
"Then we rescue you two if you need rescuing." Trowa finished Quatre's thought.  
  
"I don't fucking believe this shit. You can't expect me to go along with this!"  
  
Despite Duo's misgivings, the plan was approved by a vote of six to one and plotting began immediately. Duo could only watch and listen as his friends and lover outlined the plan.  
  
"The trick is to find the Prince's patrols. We don't know where they are."  
  
Heero was deep into the logistics of finding a group of would-be ambushers. He explained that he and Duo would just walk up to them and make them take him and Duo to the Prince whereupon they would meet up with the Fates. Duo shook his head to make sure he heard right. He had just suggested that they just stroll up to a bunch of armed and dangerous men and ask them to take them to their leader. He loved Heero dearly with all his heart, but he was beginning to have doubts about his sanity.  
  
What was even more disturbing than the crackpot plan was that the rest of the group was fine with it. Sally outlined her and Hilde's role to trail them to their place of confinement to lie in wait for the perfect time to break them out. Wufei drew up battle plans if such a contingency arose and Trowa was busy calculating the likelihood of a Peacecraft ambush at certain spots along the road. Quatre was supervising the whole hair-brained scheme like a general over major war plans.  
  
Duo was convinced that he was the only one with his head screwed on just right.  
  
"So, we split up at dawn. Duo and I will continue walking along the road and watch for signs of the Prince's soldiers. Sally and Hilde will be our trail and the rest of you cover for them. Good plan."  
  
Heero sounded so damned congratulatory of this lame idea that Duo could only stare in mock horror. His friends also had that same look as Heero though, as if they considered this plan somehow feasible. It was crazy.  
  
"May I just fucking reiterate that all of you have lost your goddamned gourds?"  
  
"Point noted and ignored. Next?"  
  
It was a wonder that no one heard Duo's jaw drop to the ground.  
  
+  
  
Heero sighed at his lover's truculent face, noticing for the fifth time in that many minutes that Duo was angry with him. He still did not agree with the plan even if he was going along with it and he let it be known by being silent and moody. Heero wondered why his smart and generally clever lover could not see the plan for what it was.  
  
"How long are you going to be angry, Duo? It has been six hours since we split up."  
  
"I'm not angry. I'm fucking pissed."  
  
That was the only sentence Duo had spoken in the past few hours and it was laden with icy rage. It wasn't pleasant, but at least he was talking.  
  
"You know this plan is not a bad one."  
  
"Hah! Right! This plan is so shitty I don't know why I'm going along with it!"  
  
Heero could feel his own temper fraying at his lover's stubbornness. Why couldn't he just admit that the plan had merit and that it was probably their only option to find the Fates?  
  
"Duo, stop being unreasonable. What is your problem with this plan?"  
  
As soon as the question finished, Duo stopped walking and stood on the road, still as a rock. Heero stopped walking as well, staring at his lover with frustration in his eyes. He nearly snapped at Duo when he refused to move after a few minutes, but then he noticed that Duo was shaking. Concern immediately overrode irritation and Heero went to Duo's side.  
  
"What's wrong, Duo? Won't you tell me?"  
  
Violet eyes looked up and to Heero's surprise, they were dry. From the way Duo's body had been shaking, he had been certain that Duo was crying, or at least on the verge of tears. However, his eyes were completely void of liquid and glittered in furious whirling colors.  
  
"This.. plan is stupid, Heero. What if they find out about Trowa and the guys and kill them? What if they can't get us out before the Fates have their way with us? What if one of them dies because of some stupid shit we haven't thought of? Have you thought about any of that shit, huh?"  
  
"Duo," Heero said quietly, "these are concerns that have always been present, even before the plan. Why are you so reluctant all of a sudden?"  
  
Instead of answering, Duo looked away, his eyes focusing on something beyond Heero's shoulder. He bit his lip, worrying the flesh between his sharp teeth and his brows contracted in thought. Duo knew Heero was right, that he was being a paranoid idiot, but he couldn't help it. There was so much at stake and everything was coming to a head.  
  
"I'm just scared, Heero," Duo admitted softly, "and I don't know what to do. It was easier just looking, not actually having the possibility of finding. I know I'm being a moron, but.. I just don't want anyone to die."  
  
Heero moved to put his arms around Duo and felt his lover sag into his body. There was so much tension within him like so many coiled springs ready to snap.  
  
"It will be okay. I know it."  
  
Duo sighed at Heero's reassurance, knowing that Heero could not possibly predict that it would all turn out fine. However, his heart believed Heero and told the rest of him that those words were not empty and hollow of meaning, but that they were a promise to him. It took away the greater part of his fear and chased away the desperate thoughts in his mind.  
  
"You better be right or I'm going to fucking strangle you, got it?"  
  
Chuckling, Heero nodded into Duo's hair and rested his forehead in the full mass. His lover was coming to his senses finally, his fear having washed through him and leaving his system.  
  
"I'm glad you're okay now, Duo. I thought for a moment that you'd cry."  
  
It was supposed to lighten the mood; it was supposed to be a small teasing comment. However, Duo stiffened and turned his head to look into Heero's eyes with a deadly look in his violet eyes.  
  
"I don't cry, Heero. Ever."  
  
There was nothing to do except nod uncertainly at Duo's clipped response. Then suddenly, Duo smiled big and his eyes twinkled with determination.  
  
"Shit, we can't just stand here! Let's get going Heero."  
  
So they continued to walk along the road, only this time, they were of one mind about the plan. The tension and the anger had disappeared in one moment of confession and they walked hand in hand once again, eyes set on the future.  
  
+  
  
It was with relief and some amount of disbelief that the captain of Prince Milliardo's Fourth Unit Guards watched as two figures leisurely sauntered up to them in a measured pace. To make sure, the captain looked at the sketch and then back at the boys, making sure that they were the ones who were to be captured. Unlike the previous description of their mode of travel, they were alone, none of their purported companions anywhere near them.  
  
When they stopped just in front of the Fourth Unit captain without having drawn a weapon or even getting into a defensive posture, it was obvious to the brilliant captain that they meant to be captured. Though he was somewhat suspicious of their actions, he wasn't about to curse the good Fates for landing him an easy capture. The previous group had died rather quickly and he did not want to test out these two's skills.  
  
"I am Heero, this is Duo. You are from the Princes Guard Unit, are you not?"  
  
There wasn't even a hint of fear in that well modulated tenor voice and it should have tipped off the captain that they were up to something. However, it did not matter much to the captain... it was his mission to capture them and here they were, just offering themselves up.  
  
"I am the captain of the Fourth Unit. We are under orders to take you to the Prince."  
  
"Well then," the long haired boy said with a half smile, "lead the way, buddy."  
  
The captain ignored the mocking tone and pointed them towards a small wagon just beside the road. It was equipped with bars and an inch thick chain that served as a lock. It was an inescapable prisoner transport system, sturdy and strong.  
  
"Say, Heero, looks like we're going to travel in style."  
  
Quirking his lips in what could have been a smirk, Heero opened the barred door to the wagon and stepped inside, his eyes looking around their accommodations with appraisal. Duo followed closely behind him and sat unceremoniously by the corner farthest from the horses, squirming around to get comfortable.  
  
"So, captain.. take us to your leader!"  
  
Duo received neither a smile or a laugh at his light-hearted comment. Instead, the captain signaled his soldiers to lock the door and to check the hitches on the two horses responsible for dragging the wagon to wherever Milliardo was. When everything was done with soldier like efficiency and candor, the group of soldiers formed ranks around the wagon and then they were on the move.


	9. Part 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_Everything must go to chaos for that is where everything began._  
  
Prince Milliardo poured two glasses of vintage red wine into crystal glasses, being careful not to splash any onto his white jacket and shirt. His guest sat quietly by the table three feet beyond the bar, demurely tucking her legs underneath the full skirt of her blue and silver dress. He watched her through the reflection upon the wine glasses, assessing her short bluish black hair, clear blue eyes and full red lips without betraying his perusal. She was a beautiful lady, all poise and culture, exuding nobility as if it was a subtle perfume.  
  
She had shown up when he had notified the right parties that Dorothy's quarries had been captured, telling him under no uncertain terms that she was the one in charge of the situation. Apparently, this lady outranked Dorothy and had more authority to help him to the throne. He would tread carefully around this beautiful woman; as his father had said so long ago, beauty blinded a man to the true dangers of a woman.  
  
Turning with two glasses held in his gloved hands, Milliardo smiled politely and made the short walk to the lady to offer her one of the glasses. She took it in her soft but firm hands, nodding at him as if he were a servant. However, Milliardo did not show his irritation at her condescension. It was time for diplomacy, not rank throwing.  
  
"My lady, may I say you are the most elegant creature I have ever seen."  
  
The first rule to dealing with a high born lady was the flattery. No matter how hard or calculating a woman was, compliments always broke the ice nicely.  
  
"Do not patronize me, my young prince."  
  
This time, Milliardo did grimace a little. She was not open to his friendly overtures at all, even disdaining the much oft used charm of his.  
  
"I apologize, my lady, but you are stunning. But we are here for business, not flattery."  
  
"Yes," the lady said, "I'm here to get the two you have captured. Please, would you escort them to this room?"  
  
"Of course, my lady. But before I do, may I please have the wondrous pleasure of knowing your name?"  
  
A short laugh taunted his most charming request and set Milliardo further on edge. He did not like being laughed at, even by ladies as beautiful as this one before him.  
  
"Call me Noin."  
  
"Lady Noin," Milliardo said keeping his voice calm and smooth, "it is with pleasure that I present you with your wishes."  
  
He signaled the guard at the door to his room, giving him a silent command to bring the two boys to the room. The guard left quickly, leaving him and the lady Noin alone in silence. Milliardo sipped his wine to give himself something to do. It seemed that the lady was not fond of small talk, or any kind of conversation for that matter.  
  
When the two captured boys arrived bound in chains, it was with some relief that Milliardo greeted them. He had never been at a loss for words, especially when dealing with the fairer sex and they provided some release from the silent tension.  
  
"Welcome to my sitting room, gentlemen."  
  
Duo snorted at the urbane greeting, letting Milliardo know exactly what he thought about the whole situation. Heero, on the other hand, had been alive far longer and knew how to deal with shallow civility when the situation called for it.  
  
"Well," Heero drawled out in thinly veiled sarcasm that made Duo proud, "we're more of the prisoner types than actual gentlemen. And, we're not sitting. And we're not welcome."  
  
"How.. droll."  
  
Heero whipped his head to the lady who sat and watched them with a hint of amusement and fury lighting her blue eyes. Recognition was instantaneous.  
  
"Noin. It has been.. ages."  
  
Noin stood and walked up to Heero, completely ignoring the other mortals in the room with a contempt that was no longer veiled. The closer she got to Heero, the more she could feel her rage at the whole mess at hand. When she was no more than an arm's length from Heero, she stopped to calm the fury in her heart.  
  
"Heero.. you certainly.. don't look different, do you."  
  
"Mortality isn't as much of a burden as you thought, Noin."  
  
The two of them stared at each other like mortal enemies, their eyes shooting off sparks that could have set the room on fire. Duo watched warily, never having seen Heero so viciously antagonistic of anyone. Milliardo could only frown at his lady guest and his unusual prisoner in curiosity and confusion, knowing that there was a history between the two that ran deeper than oceans.  
  
"You just had to cause all this trouble, didn't you. Couldn"t let things be."  
  
"I did what needed to be done."  
  
"Oh really," Noin said with deep disdain, "you thought it fair to trade the order and well being of the entire universe for your little mortal. I always knew you were selfish, but this goes beyond selfish."  
  
"Look, lady," Duo broke in, not able to keep his mouth shut at Noin's insulting comments, "if you have ever been in love, you would understand."  
  
The icy look that Noin threw at Duo would have made lesser mortals quail in their dirty boots, but Duo faced off against her like an equal. It only infuriated her more.  
  
"Love.. what a trite little emotion. An excuse to act the fool, an emotion to sow discord, a feeling to inspire pity."  
  
As if wanting to get a foul taste out of her mouth, Noin swallowed the wine in her glass in one large gulp, foregoing the ladylike sipping in which she usually indulged. She stared hard at this mortal Heero had chosen in disgust, wanting nothing more than to make him suffer for the chaos he had caused within the pattern. But she could not do anything to him yet. The time was not right, he was free from her and she could not strangle him with her hands.  
  
"Foolish mortal, foolish Heero.. In three days, you two will cease to exist. I will be rid of you two."  
  
"You are welcome to try, but you will not succeed. Do you think I'll lose Duo after finding him, after all that we've been through?"  
  
Noin laughed.  
  
"Heero, when did you become so.. melodramatic? After all you've been through? It has been less than five months since you used the Pendulum! A sliver of time! You have become a mortal completely, haven't you. I do pity you."  
  
The glower that Heero graced upon Noin did not phase her one bit and she brushed it off before turning on her heels, facing away from him. With sardonic amusement marring her smooth voice, she continued to berate Heero.  
  
"After your first folly at loving a mortal, I thought you knew better. After all that trouble we went through to free you from that mortal, you still couldn't let go. Now, you're mired so deep in this mortal that you can't even think like one of us anymore. It's sad, Heero, truly sad to see one of my family fallen so low."  
  
"Shut up, Noin. Don't you ever talk about.."  
  
Duo glanced at Heero's face and saw the lines of pain and rage that he had not seen since the first moments of their meeting. Something Noin had said must have set him off, made him remember something so unpleasant that the pain he had banished was coming back. But before Duo could yell at Noin for her insensitivity or question Heero about it, Noin signaled to Milliardo to take them away.  
  
+  
  
The dungeon was like any other dank, musky hole in the ground, bad odors permeating every last damp brick. Duo sat against the wall facing the bars, his head resting on Heero's shoulder and his hand rubbing lazy circles around Heero's tense thigh. He was replaying the conversation that Heero had with Noin in his mind, dissecting and piecing together various pieces of information that he had gathered along with what he remembered of his past life. He could feel the memory tickling him in the back of his mind, dancing and lurking for him to bring it to light.  
  
"Duo, what are you thinking of?"  
  
The gentle touch of Heero's hand against his face did not stop his trains of thought ,but it did distract him for a moment. Shrugging his shoulders, Duo let out a noncommittal sound that could have meant anything.  
  
"You're okay? Not nervous about tomorrow?"  
  
"Tomorrow?" Duo said absently.  
  
"Yes, remember tomorrow? We're getting out of this dungeon as per the plan?"  
  
"Oh yeah. No. Not nervous."  
  
Heero watched his lover answer him in short phrases, not even brothering to hide that his thoughts were far away. His eyes were distant, looking past the dungeon and the bars, seeing things that were not before them.  
  
"Heero.. something.. I know there is something I have to remember.."  
  
Tightening his arm around Duo's waist, Heero asked him without words what it was that had him so troubled.  
  
"Something happened to you and your past lover.. something that really hurt you and made me resent you. I keep seeing the cave, lit in rose colors and.. you, I see you with sorrow etched onto your face. Why is that? What happened?"  
  
Heero was silent, his face grim and thoughtful. He had thought that Duo's soul had forgotten about that experience, that it would never have to be mentioned again. But Noin had to jog his memory as well as give Duo a hint to the past that should not be recalled. Heero looked at his lover askance, debating whether or not to refresh his lover's past self's recollection of that final moment in the cave. If told wrongly, it could be very damaging to their relationship now, something that he could not allow.  
  
"Must you know, Duo?"  
  
"I want to," Duo replied quietly, "but you don't have to tell me if it's that bad. Maybe some things are best left alone."  
  
Heero could tell that Duo wanted to know badly, that he wanted to hear what had happened. As much as Duo told him over and over that the past did not matter, that he was not that person from fifteen hundred years ago, he wanted to know everything about him. To Duo, anything that had to do with Heero was worth knowing, whether it was bad or good. Sighing in defeat, Heero decided that Duo had a right to know, perhaps even a right to hate him.  
  
"The cave.. was where my past lover died."  
  
Although Duo had suspected as much, it was still a shock to hear Heero say it with such regret and loss in his voice. It was as if it had happened yesterday, not all those years ago from the amount of pain in Heero's tone. It bothered Duo that someone else had mattered so much to Heero, even if he had been dead for a long time and the soul within him was the same as the past incarnation. It was petty, Duo knew, but he could not help the little bit of jealousy that welled up every time that Heero talked of the past lover.  
  
"Did he die hating you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Duo waited for Heero to continue. It was a long while before Heero could put words to the events from that cave.  
  
"We.." Heero cleared his throat and began again, this time in a stronger voice devoid of any emotions.  
  
"We were just having fun, he and I. Then we went to that cave.. he wanted to see the rose quartz in there, how the lights played off the rocks to make this beautiful light show. But, when we went in, Noin was waiting for us."  
  
Duo could almost see it in his mind. The joyously innocent redhead bouncing into the cave with Heero in tow only to be stopped dead by the cold blue eyes of the woman they had encountered in Milliardo's room.  
  
"She was there to tell me that I had to choose. Relena had fated him to die that very day, but Noin had made it worse. Noin gave the choice of death to me. She said that he would die that day no matter what, but it would be up to me to choose how he would die. There were so many possibilities, each death seemingly more painful than the last. I pleaded with her, begged her, yelled at her, but nothing would sway her. He would die and it was only out of familial ties that Noin would let me choose his death."  
  
Heero felt Duo grip his hand tightly, crushing the bones of his hands together and cutting off the circulation to his fingers. He did not know whether Duo was giving him support or just expressing his anger, but he could not stop now.  
  
"So I chose to let him die in the least painful way possible, for him to just slip away. Just like sleeping. But he could not understand why I could not save him, why I could not just whisk him away from the terrible fate before him. He.. he could not forgive me for giving into Noin. For letting him die. He really did hate me before he died, I think. He thought I chose the Fate's will before him. And you know, I did choose Noin's ultimatum. I didn't try hard enough to keep him alive. So, I couldn't forgive myself either. I never have."  
  
The words faded and Heero looked down onto his lap, waiting for Duo's reaction. What would he do? What would he say? He could not raise his head to meet Duo's eyes. He was too afraid to see condemnation in his beautiful violet eyes. When Duo said nothing for a long time, Heero closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. Then he felt Duo put his arms around his shoulders and draw him close. In shock, Heero laid his head against Duo's chest and listened to his lover's voice rumbling in his chest.  
  
"Heero.. Heero.. I never imagined.. I.. how can I deserve you after that? How could my past idiot self not understand your pain, your heart?"  
  
It was shocking to Heero that Duo was not blaming him for his past actions, that he was not even considering being angry with him for choosing his death for his past self. Did he not say that he felt the resentment deep within his soul? Wasn't that what had made Duo hate him at first, that and the fact that he could not choose?  
  
"Are.. are you forgiving me, Duo?"  
  
"You idiot," Duo replied, burying his head deeper into Heero's hair, "you total fucking idiot.. there is nothing to forgive. The Fates really fucked you over, like they did me. Even though you weren't in their control, they played with you and made you suffer. It's unforgivable. What they made you do.. I don't even have the words to tell you how sorry I am that my past self caused you so much pain."  
  
Heero tightened his hold on Duo and felt his lover doing the same. They clung to each other in a desperate attempt to erase the sorrow of the past.  
  
"I love you so, Duo Maxwell. More than that, I finally understand what it is to love you."  
  
Smiling, Duo responded by placing a small kiss on Heero's lips.  
  
"Love you too, Heero. More than I wanted to, less than I should."  
  
As they held each other and whispered words of love to each other, they finally buried the past in the darkness of the dungeon, letting go of the painful past and opening themselves up fully to the possibilities of the future.  
  
+  
  
"Noin, I never realized that you were so unkind. How could you say that to Heero? How can you be thinking about using the Raduleum on him?"  
  
Relena paced up and down Milliardo's sitting room, her agitation showing too clearly in her aggravated movements. Her sister merely sat and watched her as she moved about, showing that she did not care much for Relena's opinions.  
  
"I never even considered that you would use the Raduleum. It was forbidden to even us by the family! It's not right and you know it, Noin."  
  
A bored and feigned yawn was the only response Relena received from her older sister and it infuriated her even more. The level of her anger was so high that she could not even speak, but just stare maliciously at her sister.  
  
"Relena, my dear," Noin said when it was clear Relena could not continue, "you are not looking at the bigger picture. Again. This is for the universal order. I did not decide this casually, but with much regret and hesitation. I will not enjoy this, but some things must be done."  
  
"Get off your high horse, Noin. You are just doing this to salvage your pride! You just can't let it go, can you?"  
  
"My pride? Mine? What of yours when you gave Heero the Pendulum? And what of Heero's when he just decided to use it for the love of a foolish mortal? How dare you speak to me of pride when it was you and Heero who began this mess!"  
  
For once, Relena surprised Noin by stalking up to her and physically grabbing her by the shoulders and giving her a rough shake. Relena had never resorted to violence of any sort and Noin had never been treated so badly. In fact, Noin was one of the very few gods who had never been killed.  
  
"Shut up, Noin! We began this by killing Heero's lover! We made this happen. I set the path to his death out of jealousy and you made Heero choose out of vanity. We are the ones to blame. Heero and Duo.. they are just victims to our pride."  
  
"How prettily you argue, Relena. But none of that really matters now. The tapestry must be brought to order. They must be erased. It isn't about vengeance or pride anymore, Relena, but about the world."  
  
"I don't care!" Relena spat heatedly, "and I will do everything I can to stand in your way, dear sister. Know this, Noin and don't forget to inform Dorothy. I am against you. I will not allow you to harm Heero or Duo. I will make sure the Raduleum fails."  
  
Relena did not bother to stay to hear her sister's reply to her threatening promise and stomped out of Milliardo's sitting room. Noin sat in her chair and watched her sister go in anger and determination, her face twisted in disappointment. It would not do to have in fighting at this stage of the mess, but that was exactly what she had. In frustration, Noin threw her empty wine glass onto the floor, letting the delicate crystal shatter into a myriad of pieces on the marble.  
  
"Damn it. Damn it all."  
  
Having had enough frustration for one day, Noin shimmered out of the room in a display of her godly powers and into her own sanctuary deep in the mountains of an unknown country. She had to make the Raduleum work. Nothing could go wrong.  
  
With that in mind, Noin busily set the threads of fate spinning, trying to outmaneuver her own sister's chosen paths. She would make sure that all mortals affected by the chaos of Heero and his mortal dance the tune she set.  
  
+  
  
Furtive movements within the shadow failed to register in the hopelessly tired minds of the palace guards and two assassins slipped through the outer layer of security of the castle. Sally maneuvered her body between the shadows, flitting in and out of darkness with practiced ease while Hilde followed at a much more sedate pace. They had to be in position before daybreak for as soon as the sun broke over the horizon, Heero and Duo would be freed from their dungeon.  
  
Once again, Sally ran the logistics of the castle grounds through her mind, letting the training she received from the guild wash through her. She and the others had all pooled their collective knowledge about Milliardo's castles, memorizing each layout and planning routes for them. This castle that Heero and Duo had been brought to was one of the ones they had not fully known about and Sally did not know exactly where the dungeons were. The plan was getting hazier by the moment, but it was too soon to give up in despair.  
  
A short pause brought Hilde back on pace with Sally and they moved together to yet another dark shadow within the courtyard. Their black clothes covered them perfectly in this dark and moonless night, but the total lack of light from the sky was limiting their vision. Torch lights were too bright and inconsistent, giving everything a rusty and rough look. This was no good. They had very little vision, a sketchy at best idea of the castle and daybreak was fast approaching. And still, they were nowhere near the dungeons.  
  
Signaling to Sally, Hilde moved ahead of her, using her smaller and more agile body to slip into a crack between the walls to reach the other side of the courtyard. Sally waited tensely for Hilde's return, standing very still in the dark while her partner scouted the other side. When it seemed that time was running short, Hilde returned and shook her head in a sad negative way, telling her that she had not found a way into the dungeons from the other side.  
  
Stifling a sigh of frustration, Sally motioned to Hilde to follow and then they were off again, making their way across the castle grounds, looking for a way into the castle without giving off an alarm. No matter what, they would not fail Heero and Duo.


	10. Part 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_Fate is written in stone, but even the hardest of stones can break and shatter under the right guiding hands._  
  
Most days, Milliardo slept well past noon since he spent his nights poring over documents necessary for running a kingdom. His father, the one who was king and supposedly responsible for taking care of those documents, was too old and senile to do anything so it had fallen to him and Relena to take care of the kingdom. And with Relena safely out of his way of ascension to the throne and everyone else in line, he was effectively in charge of the kingdom. Dorothy's promise of helping him achieve the throne seemed unneeded now, but he would not take the chance of breaking his end of the bargain in fear that she could prevent him from becoming king. It was a hard business being a prince, especially today.  
  
The sun was barely up and he had not slept more than an hour when a guard came into his room to announce in a tremulous voice that the two prisoners he had captured for Dorothy and Noin had escaped the dungeons. There was nothing to do but for him to order an all out search, as discreetly as possible of course, and then figure out a way to keep this bit of bad news from the ladies. Milliardo watched the guards exit his room with undue haste to carry out his orders and pondered if he should go with the search team himself to make sure the job was done right. However, with the ladies Noin and Dorothy as his guests in the castle somewhere, it would be very unseemly to leave. The rules of etiquette held him in the castle in the end.  
  
When a guard came in several hours later, the news was not good. It was as if the two had disappeared completely, like a breeze in a hurricane. No one could figure out how they had managed to escape from the dungeons either and the mystery of them deepened. After hearing the news, Milliardo decided to talk to the ladies; if they found out on their own later, it would certainly do him no good.  
  
Formulating a suitably apologetic yet defensive speech within his mind, Milliardo walked towards the guest quarters of his lavish palatial castle, each step echoing off the marble walls in sharp ringing beats. He had already decided that he would apologize to the Lady Noin first since it seemed that she was in charge, then offer a solution of sorts. What solution, he was yet unsure since it seemed that those two were completely out of his hands, but he had to say something or incur their wrath.  
  
Sometime during his long thought processes, he had reached the large double doors of cedar and gold leading to the rooms assigned to the ladies. Usually, the doors did not seem so imposing, but with the news he had, they looked like the gaping maws of hell to him. For some reason that even he could not clarify, he was afraid of the two ladies. They were slight in stature, willowy and beautiful, exuding grace and culture unlike any women he had ever met. They should not have caused him any fear, only appreciation and perhaps some lust. However, something about the way they talked, the way they seemed to have knowledge far beyond the mortal sphere..  
  
Swallowing his fear and reasserting his manliness, Milliardo knocked on the double doors and awaited permission to enter.  
  
+  
  
"She isn't vindictive, Noin. She's just as desperate as we are."  
  
Snarling, Noin pushed past Dorothy and continued to stalk around the room like a maddened tiger on a leash. It was quite unacceptable, no matter what Dorothy said to excuse Relena's behavior. Just earlier, not even half and hour of human time ago, her delinquent sister had woven the threads to let the two chaotic elements escape from their clutches.  
  
"How dare she do this to us? She wants chaos? She wants to lose everything to nothingness?"  
  
Dorothy could do nothing as she watched her oldest sister rant on about the end of the universe. She might have laughed at the display Noin was putting on had the situation not been so dire. And honestly, she had never thought Relena would go that far either. Yet, Dorothy had to wonder, if the two were really as bad as Noin thought they were.  
  
"Noin.. if they do manage to escape the Raduleum, would it be as terrible as you say?"  
  
The thick and tense silence was almost unbearable as Noin stared unbelievingly at Dorothy. It was enough that Relena had completely defected from their cause, but to have Dorothy question her was too much. But Dorothy had questioned, the one who should have supported her through the end with the Raduleum. If she questioned now, what could be in store in the future?  
  
"Do you even have any idea what you are asking? Dorothy, two mortals are without destinies. They can muddle all the other threads! They are like a drop of water in a still pond, seemingly small and insignificant until the ripples dance through the entirety of the pond. They are already damaging everything! Look what has happened to the threads of those mortals they've touched already. Nothing is going the way I planned, the way Relena should have planned!"  
  
Dorothy listened to Noin rave on sadly, knowing that her sister was right about everything but still feeling that nagging guilt in the back of her mind. She had not known Heero as well as Noin nor loved him like Relena, but she had never felt animosity for him. He had never done anything to her and he was family. Dorothy could care less for the mortal... they came and went so frequently that she couldn't really be bothered to remember. But Noin was talking about Heero. The one who had been with them since the beginning, if there had ever been one.  
  
To consider erasing him from existence completely was somehow unsettling, too close to home. If they could find a reason to erase Heero, why not another? Then another? It seemed like a line of immeasurably long dominoes hovering before her and Heero the first in line to get tipped. The prospect of Heero's escape from the Raduleum was horrible, most definitely, almost as much as the prospect of erasing one of their own. Now, Dorothy was having doubts about their plan.  
  
"You will not be betraying me too, are you?"  
  
Dorothy turned her head sharply towards Noin who stared at her with wide eyes. More than the look in her eyes, it was the tone of betrayal and hurt present in Noin's voice that put it through to her that her sister was more fragile than she appeared. Noin may have been ranting and raving about the order of the universe and being adamant about Heero's erasure, but Dorothy suddenly knew that her older sister was not as gung-ho as she wanted others to believe. Noin was as uncertain, if not feeling more guilty, about this whole venture.  
  
"I would never betray you, Noin. But only if Relena had talked to us before she gave Heero the Pendulum.."  
  
"Love makes all of us do foolish things."  
  
There was nothing truer in the universe than that.  
  
"Enough of this idiocy. We must find Heero."  
  
And the work began again, both Noin and Dorothy rippling through the threads of mortal fate in an effort to recapture and put the world back on its proper axis.  
  
+  
  
Strands of blond hair floated in the air, wafting gently to the ground. Quatre stared at his hair which had been attached to his head only seconds ago as they danced in the air before him, ignoring the sharp knife whizzing just beyond his face. He managed to just get back out of staring at his hair in time to avoid the backward slash from the same knife and then he shoved a poniard through his assailant's heart with a professional's posture.  
  
The sun was setting in a splash of oranges and pinks in the western sky, but no one was watching the lovely display of nature. In fact, everyone was much too busy fighting off yet another wave of Milliardo's recovery squad. They had all met up again without incident just after the sun rose at the appointed meeting place, Heero and Duo in one piece as they were supposed to be. Then soon after, they had found themselves hiding from the castle squads as they searched high and low for the missing twosome until finally, they had broken cover and had run for it. Now, they were fighting off wave after wave of what seemed to be an endless group of soldiers, just fighting to keep their lives.  
  
The one bright spot in this desperate flight was Relena's presence as she desperately wove and rewove countless threads to help them out, thwarting her sisters' plans. Wufei and Sally stood around Relena as she concentrated on forming the pattern, defending her body and her concentration. Duo and Heero fought as one as they always did, each a smooth extension of the other, moving fluidly and continuously in one constant body. Quatre, besides losing a bit of his hair, was doing just fine, but he was distracted ever so often by Trowa's presence, his resolve to stand his ground breaking every time the green eyed boy was in any remote danger. Thankfully, Trowa fought with caution and expertise, knowing of his blond lover's concern.  
  
After what seemed to be an eternity, the skirmish was over and they were on the move again. Relena ran along with them, lifting her silken skirts above her knees to keep from tripping, keeping pace with the more experienced crew. When she had suddenly shown up before Sally and Hilde as they ran around the castle to help out, it had been a miracle that her sisters had not pounced as soon as the threads had started moving again. Then it had been touch and go, constantly trying to out-think Noin as they ran. It did help that Duo and Heero were free from Noin's meddling... what they did, Noin could not control. More than that, it had helped that they were both very skillful fighters, able to hold their own against most anyone.  
  
The Raduleum.. Relena could only shudder at the thought of using that against anyone, especially one of their own. Noin was quite adamant, however, and Relena had no choice but to go against her. For better or for worse, Relena could not help her sisters wreck Heero once again. So she ran desperately alongside her new group, determined for the first time in her life to defend something other than herself.  
  
+  
  
The couple of days ran out for all parties involved in a haze of battles, hiding and strategizing. Noin and Dorothy became more overt in their actions, sending out mortals in a whim to find the errant chaotic elements, using Milliardo's thread shamelessly in an effort to recapture Duo and Heero. Relena was no less unscrupulous, constantly barraging selected mortals with horrible futures in an attempt to keep them away from Heero and the group. She personally felt bad for a couple of the mortals whom she had set off on a path to a terribly painful death, but it was all for saving her friend. It had to be worth the suffering others felt.  
  
They only had a few hours left until the Raduleum would be ineffective and all they had to do was run until time ran out on them. Once they passed the appointed time, then the Raduleum would be unusable for a hundred and some years, enough time for Duo and Heero to live out their mortal lives in happiness. Relena wondered even if the Raduleum was not used, if her sisters would be able to leave the two of them alone. Noin was not the type to give in easily and she definitely did not appreciate mortals who warped the pattern. There were so many things to worry about, but that would have to wait until after they were done running from Noin.  
  
Relena looked about her surreptitiously, noting that her companions were worn and tired, but still determined to run for all they were worth. She checked the threads and found that she had given them all paths of freedom and long lives in her efforts to help Duo and Heero. There was nothing Noin could do that could damage the paths she had set out for them at this point and that made her smile. In the past, she could have cared less for mortals that she chose futures for, always looking at the pattern instead of the individuals. But now, after spending so much time around this group, she felt like she had done well with her choosing for them instead of the pattern. Surely she had sent a few others down treacherous paths in an effort to secure these friends of hers a happier future and she had most definitely messed up the pretty picture of the pattern, but it satisfied her to know that her friends would not suffer due to her choosing.  
  
It was worth it, she decided. Even after spending time on the mortal plane living out mortal lives as she wished, she had never felt connected to any one person outside of her family. Even those she was supposed to consider her mortal family had never touched her heart in any way, but had only served to be props in her little play at living like a mortal. The man who was supposed to be her brother, Milliardo, merited less care from her than a grasshopper, especially since his path had shown that Noin had used him to get her out of the mortal realm. She did not blame him for killing her, no more than she blamed Duo for carrying out his orders, but it rankled that someone who was supposed to be her brother had ordered her killed for something as paltry as the throne. She looked at Wufei, noting again that he would never be able to do that to anyone he considered family. No path she could have chosen held that type of a future for him, his thread and personality being devoid of betrayal of any sort. The same went for Trowa and Quatre, the two silver threads that she had woven so finely together as lovers. They also held nothing that could have turned them against anyone they loved. Sally and Hilde were also of the same kindred and nothing she could have chosen from her infinite will could have turned them into betrayers. She had fallen in with a most honorable crowd of mortals and she felt more at home with them than she had with Milliardo.  
  
"You look like you're way too deep in that thought."  
  
Relena swiveled her head towards the amused tenor voice and saw a smiling face dominated by violet eyes. As bewildering as it was to her, she had begun to like Duo Maxwell, seeing finally what Heero had fallen in love with so completely.  
  
"I'm just trying to sort things out."  
  
"Well," Duo said with a serious face, "if you think too hard, your head will explode.. but you're a god, you can put yourself back together pretty fucking well, right?"  
  
Relena laughed, letting the delighted sound echo around the small clearing. The others in the group looked up, puzzled at the strangely merry sound coming from Relena. She had been so silent in the past couple of days, always too busy working her Fates mojo to converse or laugh.  
  
"You still have a mouth that should be cleaned out with soap and a scrub brush, Duo Maxwell."  
  
"Yeah, but I'd rather Heero do it with his tongue, if you know what I mean."  
  
Relena rolled her eyes melodramatically, getting in the rhythm of repartee.  
  
"How can I not know what you mean? It's not even a single entendre, let alone a double."  
  
"That would be a point to Relena."  
  
Both Relena and Duo cocked their heads towards Heero in unison, nodding in agreement. Then Duo sauntered over to Heero, his hips swaying overly indecently, and gave his lover a sound kiss on the lips.  
  
"One of these days, I will beat her in this game of wits!"  
  
"Yes, Duo," Heero replied stoically, but failing to hide the twinkling smile from his eyes, "you will. When you have lived as long as she has."  
  
"Are you calling her an old lady?"  
  
Wriggling his eyebrows, Heero turned slowly to face Relena with Duo still draped around him and gave her an appraising stare that made her blush faintly.  
  
"Old, yes. Lady, never."  
  
They both heard Relena grumble almost inaudibly.  
  
"Point to Heero.."  
  
"That was a low shot and you know it."  
  
Sally jumped into the fray with professionalism, picking out her targets and getting set to defend herself. They all needed this light hearted break before the pressure mounted again.  
  
"Low, but effective." Wufei replied.  
  
"That's what a man would say."  
  
"Yes," Relena continued when Sally gave her a look to go with it, "men have absolutely no sense of dignity, verbally abusing women in such a manner. Are we three women not delicate creatures, as subtle as the spring wind, as ethereal as the air?"  
  
"Delicate my ass," said Quatre, "and subtle? Are you sure you're talking about the three of you, not angel food cake?"  
  
"Oh, shush, you blond puff."  
  
"Now, Hilde," Sally said in a mock school teacher tone, "be more creative. Blond puff isn't acceptable."  
  
"Don't think of anything creative for my sake," Quatre said before Hilde could get herself together, "because that effort just may short fry your delicate feminine brain filled with ethereal air."  
  
"When did Quatre get so good at this, Heero?" Duo asked, mildly surprised at his blond friend's wit.  
  
"Duo, if you paused enough during the admiration for your own voice, you might have noticed that other people can talk as well, if not better, than you."  
  
"Damn," Duo mumbled, "point to Trowa."  
  
And so went the clever game of wits, each contributing biting remarks and humorous interludes. Relena had never had so much fun, matching wits with her friends. Her mortal friends. More than ever, she was determined to protect this group from her sisters. She would not allow anything to happen to them and she would keep vigil over their souls for as long as there was time.


	11. Part 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_I stand here a prisoner of the soul, captured forever in the amber of time, undying and unchanging._  
  
After all the running, it seemed rather anticlimactic when the time to use the Raduleum passed. There was no epic battle, no ultimate decision to choose between life and death. There was just a quiet passing of time punctuated by small fights until the appointed time flew past everyone. When Relena announced that they were now no longer in danger from erasure, the breath of relief released was heartfelt. When she had further announced that she had set them all up for nice futures, the grins were bright and wide, warming her to the heart. Duo and Heero looked the most happy, finally being free from the dangers posed upon them by her sisters.  
  
It was with the light heart of knowing they had won that Relena stepped into the cavernous space within the deep mountains. It was Noin's personal space on the mortal realm, a place where the sisters used to sit and play with mortals. Now, Relena knew that she could no longer step into this same space with the same disregard for mortals she had for so long. With a determined and victorious smile, she walked to the center of the room where Noin and Dorothy stood with unreadable looks on their faces.  
  
"Well, Noin, Dorothy.. After all that, Heero and Duo managed to evade you completely. And not only that, I managed to outwit you, sister. Plus, I sent off Milliardo on a path that does not lead to the throne. That's revenge, but hey, point for me, I'd say."  
  
"Relena," Noin said seriously, "this is no time for being smug. The world is being thrown to chaos. Have you even considered what will happen to the Well of Souls once they die and enter it with their free souls?"  
  
"You are too pessimistic, Noin. If we work hard, we can calm the damage and the world won't go to ruins."  
  
"Sister," Dorothy replied in Noin's stead, "it's not about how hard we try anymore. They are too strong for us to contain now."  
  
Relena let out a crude snort followed by a flip of her hair.  
  
"Don't scoff, Relena. This is most serious."  
  
"Noin," Relena spoke with a bit of disdain, 'you have been going about this all wrong. Heero is not going to ruin anything. All he and Duo want is to be left alone. What is so dastardly about that? They won't interfere with others."  
  
"Not consciously, no. But they are rippling through the pattern. Surely you have seen it as well."  
  
Relena clamped her mouth shut, knowing that Noin did have a valid point. There had been innumerable amount of strange occurrences within the pattern that none of them could have predicted as of late. But none of it had been damaging to the extent that Noin made it seem. They had all been contained by her careful mind and Noin's thorough follow-through.  
  
"I don't care, Noin. I really don't. We're doing just fine, I think. Besides, we have nothing left to do! Raduleum's time has passed. And by the time we can use it next, they would have already entered the Well as free spirits. You know as well as I do, you cannot use the Raduleum on a soul without a body."  
  
"That is all very true, dear Relena. But.. we still have the Metanilim."  
  
Those words choked out a pained gasp from Relena's throat. Her light heart filled with victory and satisfaction died quickly, replaced by a cold dread and dark fears.  
  
"What.. what did you say?"  
  
"It's the only way, Relena. Either this, or we use the Raduleum the next time we can. Make your choice."  
  
Relena stared at her sisters through the haze of her tears. It could not be! The proposal her sisters were making was cruel, merciless in its objective.  
  
"How.. how can you do this? Don't you know what this will do?"  
  
"We know what it will do," Dorothy replied with surprising compassion, "but it is the only way left to us, dear sister. You know we cannot let them run free like this. It will corrupt the Well of Souls and then the pattern will burn from the inside out. I'm sorry, Relena, but you must choose between the eradication of the Raduleum or the eternity of the Metanilim. What will it be?"  
  
"But Heero! He was one of us! He is family, damn you!"  
  
Relena felt her knees collapse beneath her as the reality of the situation hit her hard. They were going to do it again. They were going to destroy Heero.  
  
"Out of respect for Heero, we will only do this to his mortal."  
  
"His name is Duo!" Relena snarled, "and he is Heero's whole universe. You cannot mean this!"  
  
"We do mean it," Noin said unrepentantly, "so it is up to you now. Choose, Relena!"  
  
With a despairing wail, Relena chose the only thing she could. She chose to destroy Heero's heart once again.  
  
+  
  
Heero sat with his hand clasped loosely in Duo's, reveling in the silent and beautiful scene before them. It had been a hectic week, but finally, there was peace. They were not erased, they were together, and everyone they loved were alive and well. They had won over the Fates.  
  
"Hey, Heero," Duo said wonderingly, "can you believe that we're sitting here now? After all that happened, I can't seem to believe it!"  
  
A joyous laugh escaped Heero's mouth and his fingers tightened around his lover's almost protectively.  
  
"Believe it, love. It's all over."  
  
Duo snuggled closer to Heero's side, letting his head fall upon his lover's broad shoulders as he let his vision wander about the fantastic view before them. Their vantage point from the grassy hilltop showed them an endless field of rolling hills and small blue lakes, all soaked in the bright colors of autumn. A wintry chill was just entering the atmosphere, but neither noticed it.  
  
"I love you."  
  
In response, Duo turned his head and kissed Heero. It was a kiss tinged in the vibrancy of passion and the serenity of love. It lasted for some time.  
  
"Can we build a house on this hill you think?"  
  
"Yes," Heero answered with a soft smile, "I think we can."  
  
"Great!" Duo said as he stood, "then let's get started!"  
  
Heero watched his lover's standing form with love in his eyes. For the rest of their lives, it would be like this, joyous and spontaneous.  
  
"I think I want to use white birch. Good colors. Let's get goin-"  
  
Heero frowned when his lover stopped talking so suddenly. It was unlike him to leave a sentence unfinished.  
  
"What's wrong, Duo?"  
  
There was no response and Heero felt the vague edges of concern in his mind. Standing, he touched Duo by his shoulder, hoping to jolt him out of his sudden revelry.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
Concern faded quickly into panic when he met his lover's widened and glassy violet eyes.  
  
"What's wrong, Duo?"  
  
His voice hitching, Heero desperately tried to get his lover to respond. But Duo was unmoving, unresponsive to his touches and pleas.  
  
"Duo!"  
  
Heero clamped his hands down on Duo's shoulders and tried to shake him, but Duo was immobile. It was as if he was rooted to the ground, stiff and unbending, forever frozen in that stance. In desperation, Heero looked into Duo's eyes, trying to find answers within the purple depths, but he only saw fear and..  
  
Tears.  
  
Tears that Duo never shed were welling up in his eyes, gathering into pools, refusing to fall.  
  
"DUO!!!"  
  
Then Heero saw it. He saw how Duo's feet were merging with the grassy hilltop beneath them, how his body was changing. Duo's glorious hair unbound itself from the hair tie and flared upward, twining around each other in a sinuous dance. Duo's arms elongated, his legs merged into each other and his body began changing colors.  
  
Before Heero's unbelieving eyes, Duo changed. Branches formed where his arms should have been. His hair turned darker and greener, becoming sharper by the moment. His beautiful face frozen in shock began to fade away. But his eyes, his teary violet eyes, never changed.  
  
When it was done, before Heero stood a tree... an evergreen.  
  
That was the last thing Heero saw before the world faded into black.  
  
+  
  
When Heero opened his eyes, he found his vision filled with Relena's tear streaked face. Groggily, he tried to remember what had happened, but nothing came to him. He felt Relena's hands gently smoothing his hair which was placed on her lap. He also saw that it was still bright, but thankfully his eyes were shaded by the tree looming over them.  
  
"I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry.."  
  
Heero frowned in confusion. Relena was apologizing, but for what, he could not fathom. Had something gone wrong? Had something happened to Duo?  
  
Duo.  
  
Suddenly, his mind cleared and he sprang up from Relena's lap. Whirling, he faced the tree and stared in mute disbelief. It could not be Duo. He could not be remembering right!  
  
His denial ringing clearly in his head, Heero continued to stare at the evergreen. It couldn't be. It shouldn't be. Then he saw it.  
  
A pair of eyes, exquisitely shaped and seemingly carved into the tree trunk. They stared back at him in infinite sorrow and longing.  
  
And they were weeping.  
  
"Duo.."  
  
Heero put his shaking hand to the tree and felt the shock of recognition. Hysterical laughter bubbled in his throat as he finally saw what stood before him.  
  
"What.. what have you done?"  
  
Relena heard Heero's tremulous voice filled with agony, a pain that was a thousand times worse than it had ever been. Apologies would never be enough. There was nothing she could do to repent for what had been done.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Heero. But.. it was the only way to save you!"  
  
"Save me? Save.. ME? Who the hell cares about that!"  
  
Relena had been prepared for the rage and the pain, but she had not anticipated the violence. Heero grabbed her by her neck and threw her down to the ground beneath the evergreen and shook her hard.  
  
"What the fuck does it matter if you save me? What the hell have you done? Why him? WHY?"  
  
"It was either this or eradicating the both of you in the future! It was the only choice, Heero!"  
  
Abruptly, Heero released Relena and stepped back, leaning his body against the evergreen.  
  
"Please, Heero," Relena pleaded, "understand. I did not want to, but I could not let my sisters erase you and Duo completely from existence. The Metanilim was the only choice left. We had to turn Duo into a form that would not hamper with other threads in fate. I'm sorry."  
  
"Then why am I still here? Do I not fuck with the fated destiny?"  
  
"Yes, but you are one of us. Not even Noin could do that to you. But all is not lost, Heero. At least this way, his soul still exists in the tree. It is more merciful than the other."  
  
Relena watched in sadness as Heero turned and faced the evergreen, his fingers trailing along the moisture running down the bark.  
  
"Do you see this, Relena? Do you see Duo crying? Can't you feel his sorrow? How can this be.. merciful?"  
  
The rationalization that Relena had built to make her choice acceptable crumbled before the weeping tree. Heero was right.  
  
"And what of me? How can I live without him?"  
  
"You lived without him before, Heero. And when you die, you'll forget about him. There are no threads of fate tying the two of you together. You'll forget, Heero."  
  
Heero wrapped his arms around the tree and pressed his face into the rough bark, feeling Duo's tears soak into his cheek.  
  
"How can I forget? What we have is stronger than destiny. He chose to love me, Relena. He wasn't made for me, we weren't meant to be together. He chose me of his own free will. He is imprinted on my soul! I cannot forget. My soul won't allow it."  
  
"Oh, Heero.."  
  
Relena tried to place her hands upon Heero's pain wracked body, but he flinched away, digging his body deeper into the evergreen.  
  
"Leave me. Leave us. Just.. go."  
  
Tears falling from her eyes, Relena walked away from the grassy hilltop. There was nothing she could say or do. Nothing.  
  
When he could no longer feel Relena's presence, Heero sank to his knees before the tree. Resting his head against the bark, he wept his bitter and lonely tears, letting them join Duo's own tears on the ground.  
  
"This isn't how it's supposed to be, Duo."  
  
Heero's tears kept falling.  
  
"This isn't right."  
  
More tears and more pain mingled with the ground.  
  
"I love you.. and I'm not ever leaving you.."  
  
Only the bright sun witnessed the grief of the lovers as they wept endlessly.


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by 0083

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).

_Love and eternity are two small words that fail to describe the immensity of their true meaning._  
  
Thirty years passed and Heero never left Duo's side. Their friends brought him food, shelter and anything else he might require during that time, their sorrow for him and Duo palpable with each visit. Each were leading happy lives, but every day when they visited Heero by the evergreen, they would feel the damning sorrow.  
  
Heero watched as the seasons turned and as his friends grew older. He saw the joy that Quatre and Trowa had, growing brighter each year. He saw Wufei find the woman of his dreams, a spitfire of a girl named Meiran, and saw them have children and grandchildren. He saw Sally become a local doctor of renown, a respected member of the community. He saw Hilde gleefully torment and love her husband and children, showering them with affection and her awful cooking. He saw their lives pass before his eyes as he remained with Duo.  
  
His friends knew better than to try to convince him to leave his beloved and for that, he was grateful. Each day, he talked to his lover, telling him about their friends, their lives and their trials in life. Each day, he told Duo how much he loved him, miss him. Each day, he bathed himself in Duo's tears, letting his own wash through the evergreen.  
  
Thirty years passed like so until one day, Heero felt his body dying underneath the sorrow and the pain. His body was disintegrating, his soul was battered and his heart was growing weaker with the ache. Soon, he would die and leave Duo, an option that he could not entertain.  
  
"Please," Heero pleaded with anyone that would listen, "please don't take me away from him. Please let me be with him."  
  
His vision faded, his hearing dimmed. And yet, he could not give up on Duo.  
  
"I can't leave you. I won't. I will forever be by your side. I love you.."  
  
The tears from the evergreen soaked him, baptizing him in sorrow and longing.  
  
"Then be with him, Heero."  
  
Heero turned to the voice that had spoken, but he could no longer make out the face. Even the voice was distorted, his hearing having dimmed too far for him to recognize it.  
  
Relena could only shed silent tears as Heero feebly raised his head and rested it against the evergreen. She could feel the torment of the lovers, each radiating a kind of longing that she could not imagine was possible. Thirty years was so short to gods, but could any of them live through the pain even for that short time?  
  
"I will make sure that you're with him."  
  
Relena was graced with a joyous smile from Heero's gaunt face. He had heard her.  
  
"Say the words, Heero. I know you remember them."  
  
A nod of confirmation was all she needed to begin the ritual of binding Heero's soul to Duo's. Without a word, Relena handed Heero a small band resembling a ring bearing the intricate symbols of the gods. It was the final treasure of the Fates, the Binder. Holding the ring in his hand, Heero intoned the words with his rusty voice, clinging tight to the evergreen.  
  
"Duo.. With the blood of my blood and the bone of my bones, I become one with you."  
  
The light that shone from the ring blinded Relena.  
  
"With this ring, I thee wed."  
  
A powerful beam of light wrapped itself around Heero's body.  
  
"With my body, I thee worship."  
  
The light enveloped the evergreen.  
  
"With my soul, I thee love."  
  
The light flared intensely and shot to the heavens. Relena could not see anything, but somehow, she imagined that she saw Heero smile one last time.  
  
When the light dissipated, Heero's body was gone, but a vine with dusky red leaves was curling around the evergreen lovingly, intimately twined with the bark and leaves in a silent communion. They were intertwined so closely that it was hard to see where the vine ended and where the tree began. For a moment, Relena doubted if she did the right thing, but her doubts faded as she looked upon the evergreen.  
  
The eyes no longer wept. Instead of the sorrow and the longing, the eyes radiated a completeness, an absolute joy.  
  
Finally, Heero and Duo had found each other again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you didn't think i'd let it end without them somehow ending up together did you? if you did, well, can't say shame on you because i've been known to do some nasty angsty things to the boys.. and i forgot the disclaimer on the parts (cya form incomplete!) but you all know i don't own gwboys..
> 
> anyway, notes.
> 
> Raduleum is a bastardization of rado (latin) that means to scratch out, to erase. i tried to squish it into an accusative form for noun's sake.
> 
> Metanilim, a horrendous mess of greek, for transformation to nothing. i thought it fit. the words Heero speaks with the Binder.. it's a very old wedding vow, originated by the highly passionate scotsmen. gotta love them. i used it because i love the resonance behind the words and the hint of eternity present. it fits as well.
> 
> and why evergreen? well, in wedding tradition, it was common for the recently married to jump over the evergreen branch if there was no thresh-hold to carry the bride over. a ritual of sorts, but i like the symbolism. evergreen, eternally the same and never changing, but a catalyst in a way for all kinds of change. okay, i don't make sense.
> 
> and yes, this was a loose adaptation of apollo and daphne's love gone wrong story.
> 
> i hope you liked what i did.


End file.
